Love that lasts
by Mz.Mickey0014
Summary: Continuation of the last song. Do Ronnie and Will stay together? Do old enemies come back? How does Ronnie cope with losing her father?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello people! This is my first fanfiction and I'm very excited for you to read it. I really want to hear what you guys think so please review it. This story will have a lot of romance, family moments, and some drama here and there. There will also be some new characters and some old ones.**** I'm open to your constructive-criticism and opinions I and hope you guys like it****.**

Ronnie POV

"Cheaters!" Ronnie shrieked as she threw the cards at her brother, Jonah. They were playing Uno and her brother had just gotten rid his last card. It wasn't really fair considering he had a little help. Next to him Will Blakelee sat laughing at Ronnie's reaction. Will, who had one first, helped Jonah win second.

"We didn't cheat," he said between chuckles. "You just lost."

"Yeah right. Anyway, it doesn't matter because cheaters never prosper." She said.

"Apparently they do because you lost!" Jonah yelled as he continued cracking up. Will soon joined in and Ronnie scoffed.

"Whatever" she said and let out a dramatic sigh. She rolled her eyes as she walked to her room.

Even though she was a little upset, she couldn't help but smile. It was nights like this that she enjoyed the most. Staying at home and seeing her brother happy and smiling. Ever since her father's death, those came few and far between and she treasured the moments when she could hear him laugh and just be a kid, one that enjoyed life and what it had to offer.

Then there was Will, her summer romance. Her heart skipped as she pictured his dark brown hair and his sweet smile. It had been about 5 months since Will had shown up and surprised her in New York. She still remembered how handsome he looked in his jeans and sweater, standing in her doorway, while she sat amazed that he was there. He was also a real help with Jonah. He would come over and hang out with him, watch movies, and he would even take him to the park where Ronnie used to. Even though Jonah didn't always seem like his normal upbeat self, hanging out Will seemed to take his mind off things at least for a little, and that was enough for Ronnie. Just to know that he was progressing.

"Am I in trouble?" her thoughts were interrupted as Will stood in the doorway.

She sighed and crossed her arms, looking out the window "Maybe."

He chuckled and made his way to her bed and sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry I cheated" he said in an exaggerated child-like voice.

Ronnie smiled "No, you're not." They both laughed and he scooted and rested his head on Ronnie's lap. She ran her fingers through his thick hair and stared at him.

"Thank you." She said finally.

He looked up at her confused "For what?"

"For coming, for being there for Jonah, and for me."

He looked at her for a long time. "In my opinion, I don't really have a choice because whatever makes you guys happy makes me happy."

Ronnie grinned and leaned down to kiss him softly on his lips. When she got up, she glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was 10:47.

"It's getting late. You should probably get going."

Will lived several miles downtown in a small apartment. Since he came to New York, it was all he could find on such short notice. It was relatively cramped, but definitely cozy. His parents had agreed to pay half his rent, so he was on an apartment hunt for more space.

"Yeah, you're right." He said. He got up and pulled Ronnie up from the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm getting tired of this."He sighed. "I live like an hour away in the tiniest place ever."

"I know. That really sucks for you." Ronnie said.

Will laughed. "Which is why you're coming apartment hunting with me on Saturday."

"What?" she asked "I can't. I have to go practice at school."

Ronnie had been going to Julliard. A few weeks after her audition, she was already practicing three to four hours a day, and this weekend, she had five songs to go over.

"Please?" he said making his best puppy-dog face, which was not that impressive.

"Ok, fine. I'll go. But only because that face you're making looks absolutely ridiculous."

"Whatever. Come on."

They made their way out of the building and stood out on the curb. Ronnie stared at will's sad attempt to hail a cab. _You'd think that being here five months would help_, she thought. She smirked and pushed him aside. With a swift whistle, she shot up her hand and a yellow taxi skidded to a stop in front of them.

"You're welcome"

Will rolled his eyes and put his arm around her waist. "What would I do without you?"

"I honestly don't know" she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on his cheek."Good night, cheater."

He Smiled "Good night."

"Is Will gone?" Jonah asked, startling Ronnie, who was watching a boring documentary on female orangutans in the living room.

"Yeah, he left about an hour ago." Jonah must have taken a nap after Uno and didn't see Will leave.

"What are you watching?" he asked. He was wearing his fantastic four pajamas, his hair was strewn across his face, and his glasses sat on the rim of his nose.

"Just some boring documentary." She grabbed the remote and turned off the T.V. "What's up?"

He hesitated before speaking. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. "She said reaching out to him.

He took her hand and joined her on the couch. He thought really hard before speaking. "Today at school, in art class we did some painted glass portraits and I held it up to the light and it…it sort of looked just like…..like dad's did. Jonah sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "It sort of just…..just shined like dad did at the funeral. I know nobody noticed but me," his sobs grew deeper and he started stammering his words "n-nobody else knows what it f-feels like. I j-j-just miss him so much." Ronnie held him tight to her chest.

"I miss him, too." She said as the tears she had tried to hold back rolled over her cheek. She thought back to the funeral. How the sun shined through the stained glass window Jonah and her father made. How the colors looked like perfect little, carved diamonds in the light. It was her father and she knew it.

She pulled Jonah's glasses off of his face and wiped away his tears with her hand. He took another deep breath to compose himself and continued.

"He's never going to be here to play with me, to talk to me, to hug me, to take me to games, to build things with me. It's like I'm trapped in a bad dream and I'm sick of it! I'm so sick of it and he's never coming back, Ronnie!"

She held his face and looked into his eyes. "He'll always be here, Jonah. Right in your heart, all you have to do is think about him and he'll be there. I promise."

He looked at her as if his life depended on it. He threw his arms around her and they held each other for what felt like forever.

She rocked him back and forth until he was all cried out and when his breathing began to slow, she carried him to his bedroom. As she lay in her bed, she stared up at the ceiling and looked up at the few little glow-in-the dark stars she put up there when she was younger. She remembered her dad helping her up on the ladder as she eagerly stuck them everywhere she could. She always meant to take them down when he left. But now she kept them up there, as if to keep a small piece of him in her room. She began humming a few notes as they came into her head. She looked up at the stars until her eyes gave up on her and she was enclosed in darkness.

**A/N: Okay, guys so what did you think? Also, I'm trying to keep it as accurate as possible, so if there is something that I write that happened a different way in the book, feel free to correct me. I'll also try to update more chapters as soon as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter. Enjoy **

Will POV

Will sat at one the many tables in Columbia's library. He sniffed his hand subconsciously which, ever since he had come from marine biology, seemed to smell like saltwater and fish. He shook his head and went back to reading a 30 page article for his environmental science program. He sighed and looked out the window. A little girl, probably five, was crying near the curb as her ice cream cone fell from her hands onto the warm concrete and rolled down the sidewalk. He watched as an older man picked her up and whispered something in her ear, causing her to smile. He remembered Jonah. He enjoyed spending time with him. In fact, he was surprised when Ronnie thanked him for it last night. He wanted to be there, not because he felt obligated to, but because Jonah was a good kid and he knew that Jonah was one of the hardest things Ronnie had to deal with after the loss of her father. As long as he knew it was helping them both, he would continue to do it. He glanced up at the clock on the far wall of the library. It was almost 4:30. He grabbed his stuff and headed out the door.

Will walked down the long corridor and found the room he was looking for. He peeked through the little square window and saw her sitting down at the piano, writing fiercely on some sheet music. He quietly pushed the door open, walked over to her, and put both of his hands over her eyes. She smiled.

"Whoever you are, I'd like my muffin please."

He laughed." So you can smell the muffin from over here, but you can't tell who it is?"

She thought for a moment." Yup, pretty much." He grinned and bent down to kiss her. He then handed her the coffee and muffins he picked up on his way there. She bit into it hungrily and sighed.

"So what are you doing there?" he asked, gesturing to the piano.

"I'm just jotting down some notes. It's funny, they just came into my head….last night." she said softly.

Will looked at her."What happened?" She just shrugged but he knew that whatever it was, it was definitely bothering her.

"It was just Jonah…."she trailed off. He scooted closer to her on the bench and put his hand over hers. She continued."What if he just never gets over this and he…..he's never genuinely happy again? He just never accepts it and he's depressed all the time. I don't want him to miss out on life because of this and I don't think my father would have either."

Will's heart ached. He hated seeing her like this, so lost and in pain. She was never this vulnerable. He put his finger under her chin and held her face up to look at him. "Ronnie, give him some time. You've done everything you can. All you can do now is continue to be the best sister you can be. Okay?"

Ronnie sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I am. I'm always right"

"Uh-huh. Sure. I bet you didn't know what you were getting yourself into last summer, huh?"She inquired.

"No, I didn't. Now I'm stuck with you."

"Shut up." He laughed and put his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest and took in his…weird smell. She wrinkled her nose and looked up at him.

"You smell funny." She said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I had a marine biology lab today."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too." She laughed.

They sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes before she spoke."So, are you going to let me practice or what?"

"Oh, so you're already kicking me out?" he asked.

"Well, I have to. I need to practice, and since you plan on kidnapping me tomorrow, I should go over the rest of these songs."

He pouted his terrible pout. "So I bring you coffee and I don't even get a 'thank you'."

She smiled and pulled his face to hers. "Thank you" she said giving him a peck.

"You know, I took time out of my studying to come see you." She giggled and kissed him again.

"It was also a pretty long drive-"

"Okay, now you're pushing it." She chimed in. Will laughed.

"Alright, I'm sorry. But I still have you all to myself tomorrow, right?"

"Absolutely. Now go take a shower." Will chuckled. "Okay." He got up, grabbed his stuff, and kissed Ronnie's forehead. As he headed to the door, he turned around and looked at her. She went back to writing on the sheet music. Her hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head and her cheeks were flushed. _God, she's beautiful_, he thought. She turned around and caught him staring.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I love you, you know."

She smiled at him. "Yeah, I know. But not as much as I love you."

With that he was out the door.

**A/N: Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey, guys. I'm very happy with how many people have read my story so far ****enjoy.**

Ronnie POV

The sun's rays cast long streaks of bright light on Ronnie's bed. She rolled over and looked at the time. It was 8:30. She yawned and stretched her arms, just as her cell phone began to ring. She hit the call button.

"Hello?"

"Hey, did I wake you?" Will asked.

"No, I was already up. What time are you coming over?"

"Around noon. I have some errands to do. Then I'll pick you up and we have about 4 places to see today. We should be done by 3:00. Then it's just you and me."

"Sounds good. See you then."

"See you then."

After Will hung up, Ronnie got up and made her way to the bathroom. After she showered, got dressed, and brushed her hair, it was only 9:20. As she was putting her pajamas in her hamper, she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in."

After a few seconds, Brian walked in. Brian was Kim's fiancé and Ronnie's soon-to-be stepfather. She didn't really even want to call him that, but there wasn't really any other name for him. They didn't really hang out together or even spend more than a few minutes in the same room without it getting a little uncomfortable for both of them. She knew that he had been making an effort lately to get closer to her ever since her father passed, but it just wasn't working and Jonah wasn't too fond of him either. It's not like they hated him, they just never clicked with him. Ronnie sometimes wondered if Jonah resented her mother for that. If he thought that Brian was just trying to replace their father. In some ways, that's exactly what it looked like.

"Hey, are you going somewhere today?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm going out with Will."

He shifted awkwardly from one leg to the other. "Ok. Well your mom is calling you down for breakfast. "

"Okay"

Once he left the room, Ronnie made up her bed and went down to the kitchen.

"Hey, Ronnie" Jonah said with his mouth full of pancakes. She walked over and kissed his forehead.

"Morning, Jonah. Where's mom?" He pointed to the couch and Ronnie saw her mom lying down with a small, damp towel on her forehead.

"Hey, mom. What's wrong?"

Kim straightened up and looked at her. "Hey, honey. Don't worry about me. I just have a small headache. I'll be fine. You look nice."

"Yeah, I'm going out with Will today."

"Brian told me. But before you go, can you do me favor and pick up the dry cleaning?"

"Sure, Will isn't coming till noon." Ronnie said as she walked into the kitchen.

Jonah looked up from his pancakes "you're going out today?" he asked with a little bit of sadness.

Ronnie felt a huge wave of guilt wash over her as she looked at him. "I'm sorry, buddy but I promised Will that we'd look at apartments for him today."

"Oh, well that's okay. I'll just find someone else to hang out with today." He hopped off the stool and walked out of the kitchen. Ronnie sighed and leaned back against the granite countertop, staring at the countless pots her mother hung from the ceiling that they never used but she insisted on leaving them there.

"Don't worry about it." She turned around to see Brian. "He'll be okay. I'll make sure of it. I know how hard you've been working to make him comfortable."

"Thanks. I just don't want him to feel bad."

"He'll be fine. Just trust me."

"Alright." Ronnie said and grabbed a banana before leaving for the cleaners.

The bells on the door chimed as Ronnie walked out of the dry-cleaners. Outside it was sunny and a nice breeze engulfed the air. She looked at her watch. It was only 10:30. She had some time to spare so she decided to stop by a local café. As she turned a corner, she saw a boat load of papers fly at her and heard someone curse under their breath. When she looked down, a girl who looked about the same age as her was on the floor scrambling for the papers as they began to scurry in different directions. Ronnie saw what she was doing and quickly began to help. When she picked them all up, she handed them to the girl. She had thick red-hair and eyes that looked a strange, but nice, pale green. She had dimples on her face that you could faintly make out even when she wasn't smiling and when she saw Ronnie, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much. You're a lifesaver. I don't know what I would have done if I lost these." The girl said in one breath.

"No problem." Ronnie said looking at the papers that were really paintings and drawings. "Wow." She said quietly.

The red head smiled. "You like them? They're my most prized possessions. I don't know what I would do if I lost them. They just flew out of my portfolio. Thanks again. I'm Iris." She said holding out her hand. Ronnie shook it and smiled. "I'm Ronnie." She brought her attention back to the papers. "So you made these?"

"Yeah, it's kind of my thing. I've been doing it forever. Do you live around here? I've never seen you before."

"Yeah, I live a few blocks from here. I was just picking something up for my mom."

Iris smiled and they stood there for a few seconds not saying anything. Then she shook Ronnie's hand one more time. "Well, I've got to go. It was nice meeting you. I'll see you around?"

Ronnie smiled. "Yeah, see you around." Ronnie watched as Iris turned on her heel and walked across the corner until she was completely out of sight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Read and Review please **

Will POV

Will straightened his hair as he knocked on the door to Ronnie's apartment. When the door opened Kim smiled.

"Hi, Will."

"Hey, Mrs. Miller. Where's Ronnie?"

"She's out in the back on the patio."

Will hugged Kim and walked inside.

"Hey, Jonah." Will said. Jonah, who was lying on the couch with his comic book, smiled at him.

"Hi, Will." He said. "Are you going to be able to hang out with me later today?"

Will frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jonah. It might get a little late. But we'll hang out another time, okay?"

He sighed and went back to his comic book. "Okay."

After a pat on his head, Will walked out to the patio. Ronnie was standing over a plant with a small watering can. He slowly crept up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Ronnie jumped and the watering can fell on the floor. "Oh, my gosh! Will, you scared me."

Will laughed and placed his arms around her. "Hello to you, too." He gently kissed her on her lips.

"It's not funny." She said, but she smiled anyway. "So where are you taking me today?"

"We're going to head downtown first. Then a few more places and we're done."

She scoffed. "So that means I have to deal with you the rest of the day? Great."

He smiled and kissed her again. As their lips met, her hands trailed up and down his back. He ran his fingers through her hair until his hands were rested on her waist. After a few seconds she pulled away and looked at him.

"What?"

"One, my mom and Jonah are right inside," She said gesturing to the door. "And two, it seems like we have a few visitors." She looked down the patio. Will joined her and saw two little kids that looked about five or six years old looking up and giggling at them.

"Okay, I guess you're right. Let's go."

The first apartment they saw was downtown in a small building. It was bigger than Will's current apartment, but still pretty small. The next apartment was nice, with a large kitchen and a very large price. It had two large bedrooms and one small one, and two baths. But it had a lot more space than he needed and it wasn't too affordable. The third was just like the first but was also a little expensive. The last one had two nice sized rooms and two bathrooms. It wasn't too expensive and it was close to his school and not too far from Ronnie's house. After seeing the apartments, they decided to grab some coffee and were now inside a cab.

"So what did you think of the apartments?" He asked her.

"The first one was ok, and unless you have a secret wife and three kids you didn't tell me about, the second one may be a little too big."

He laughed. "Come on. If I had a wife….I would definitely tell you about her." She punched him in the arm. "You don't need that much space anyway." She said.

He looked at her for a few seconds. "Maybe I do." She looked up at him, confused.

"What if you moved in with me?"

Ronnie stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously." He took her hand in his. "What if want you to move in with me. Would you?"

Ronnie's face took on a serious expression. She turned her head and looked out the window. Will sat waiting anxiously for her response, but it never came. In that instant, he felt a huge sense of rejection flood his whole body. He wished so much that he could know what was going on in her head, but the truth was, he couldn't. He knew, or at least hoped that it didn't have anything to do with him. _It's not like she said no_, he thought. _But she didn't say yes either._ He let go of her hand and turned his head. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her look down and he thought that maybe she would grab his hand again. Instead she sighed and leaned her head against the window. The rest of the ride was completely silent.

When they got inside the café, Ronnie sat at a table while Will got in line. When he came back, she was absentmindedly folding then unfolding a napkin, staring off into space.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

Ronnie shook her head and looked at him. "You're already back."

"Yeah, the line wasn't that long. What, do you want me to leave?"

"No, no. I was just asking." She sipped her coffee and went back to fiddling with the napkin. Will stared at her before taking it from her hands.

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

He sighed and frowned. "You know what I mean. Why are you acting like this? As if we're stranger s to each other. Is this because I asked you to move in with me?"

She sighed. "Will, can we not talk about this now?"

"Then when do you want to talk about it? Listen, Ronnie, I am trying to be really patient right now and I think if I did something wrong, I deserve to know what it is."

She leaned back and let out a deep breath before pushing back her chair and standing up from the table. "Come on." She said.

When they got to Will's apartment, Ronnie sat down at the small kitchen table and waited for him to sit next to her. After locking the door and taking off his shoes, he sat on the chair opposite her.

She took in a few deep breaths before speaking. "You didn't do anything wrong."

He felt a little bit better, but a lot more confused. She continued.

"I know that this is something that it seems like we should do. We know a lot about each other and I've been through a lot with you, Will. It's just….I don't want to ruin any of that."

Okay, now he was really confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what if this isn't the best thing for us to do right now? What if we're not ready to be…that close to each other, in the same house everyday? I don't want to take that risk and end up losing you. But I don't want to make you feel bad and think that I don't love you Will, because I do, and that's probably why I feel this way."

They sat there for what seemed like hours before Will took her hand. "Listen, I understand what you're saying, and I would never think that you don't love me. I know that sometimes we won't always agree and it's just one of those times. I don't want you to ever feel like I'm pressuring you to do anything you're not ready for. If you don't want to move in with me yet, then fine. But I really think that we would be okay. I love you too much to let you go anyway."

She looked at him and smiled. "You promise we'll be fine?"

He smiled. "I promise." He said pulling her to sit on his lap. She clasped her arms around his neck.

"Then yes. I'll move in with you."

"Really? You're sure?"

She kissed his forehead. "I'm sure."

"Well, then. I guess we're roommates."

"I guess we are." She leaned her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her back.

"What are you thinking about?" He whispered.

"Just my dad." She said quietly. "What he would say about this."

"Would he try to shoot me?"

Ronnie chuckled. "No. It's just sad that he's not here. I'm sorry, we don't need to be talking about this right now."

"No, it's okay. You can talk to me." Will knew that Ronnie didn't always show her emotions and lately all she had been worrying about was taking good care of Jonah. He rarely, if ever, talked with her about how she felt about her father being gone. It wasn't that he didn't care. She just never brought it up and he always assumed she just wasn't ready to talk about it.

"I guess it's just finally starting to hit me. How he'll never see me graduate. He won't see me buy my first house. Or walk me down the aisle. My kids won't ever see their grandfather. He won't be there for any of those things. It still amazes me how much I learned from him in such a small amount of time. I know how angry and disconnected I was with him after he left, but now that I think back on it, I wasted a lot of time I could have used to have gotten to know him better. In the end, I did get to know him more. But it's kind of like when you're a kid and you don't want to try a new food. You spend the whole time avoiding it, and then when you finally try it, you love it. It's all you want to eat, but when you just start to like it, you realize there's none left. Everyone ate it all. That's why it's so bittersweet. I found out he was a great person in so many ways that you can't even imagine. I just found out about seventeen years too late."

By now, tears had formed in Ronnie's eyes, rolling over her cheek and onto Will's shirt. He brought his hands to her face and wiped away the tears. She took his hands in hers and squeezed them.

"I just don't know what to do sometimes. I want so bad to be able to call him or go to his house in hopes of seeing him answer the door with a big smile on his face. But I know that will never happen. He's gone. Now all I have is him in spirit. Sometimes I don't even know who to talk to. I know I have my mom or you but I don't know if anyone will ever understand."

After what seemed like the last of the tears streamed down her face, Will put his finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at him.

"You can always talk to me. I know I'm not him. I could never be him or replace the relationship you had with him. But I'll always be there for you. It kills me to see you suffer like this and if talking about it every once in a while helps, then I'm happy to do it."

"Really?" She asked.

"Really."

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him passionately. Her hands roamed over his shoulders and back. He grabbed her waist, pulling her tighter to him. After a while, she shifted her body so that she was facing him directly. Will's heart pounded. He didn't know where all this came from and he didn't really mind, but he didn't want them to do something they would regret. They had had encounters like this before, but they always stopped it before it got to that point for some reason or another. It wasn't that he didn't want to. He thought about it almost every time he looked at her. He thought about how beautiful she was to him and how it would feel to be with her that way. But he didn't want them to run into something that it was not the time for. Just as he was contemplating this, they both heard a bell and a bird. Ronnie turned around and looked at the bird clock Will had hung on the wall. They both cleared their throats and Ronnie straightened her shirt before she smiled at him.

"Are you going to bring that stupid clock when we move in together?"

Will frowned. "I thought you liked my clock."

"I hate that clock."

"Come on, it's cool."

"It's me or the clock." She said. Will pretended to think about it for a minute.

"Well, the clock is lower maintenance." Ronnie slapped him playfully in the chest.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you, too. And so does the clock."


	5. Chapter 5

Ronnie POV

"So how's everything going with Will?" Galadriel asked. Ronnie shifted her cell phone between her shoulder and her ear, gripping her bag. "Great." She said smiling. Ever since she came back from Wrightsville Beach, she and Galadriel made sure to keep in touch. Ronnie loved having Galadriel in her life and she was happy that everything had worked out between them. She had become a sort of confidant that Ronnie could talk to when she had a problem. She knew that Galadriel definitely had no problem stating her opinion and she could trust her to say the honest truth about things, even if it wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"I still can't believe you're moving in together." She said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like the guy. But this is a really big step. You sure you ready for it?"

Ronnie sighed. Ever since she had decided to move in with Will, it seemed like that question was being asked a lot. She knew that she had had her doubts and like she told Will, it had nothing to do with him. But when she felt those feelings, he had reassured her that everything would be fine, and ever since then, she hadn't worried about it.

"Yeah, I'm ready. I'm sure of it."

"Okay, but you never know who you're dealing with in these situations."Galadriel pressed.

Ronnie's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? I know Will."

"You just _think_ you know him. You've never lived with him before. For all you know, he could be one of those guys who leave his underwear on the floor before he takes a shower and never bothers to pick it up. Or he might be one who never washes any dishes. Or even worse….he might leave the seat up."

Ronnie gasped dramatically. "How will I live?"

"Exactly!" They both laughed.

"So what did your mom say?" She asked.

"Well…she didn't faint." Ronnie said thinking back to the other night.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Kim asked Ronnie.

"Yes, mom. I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't."

Kim took a deep breath and placed her hand on Ronnie's shoulder.

Ronnie held her hand. "Come on, mom. It's not like I'll never see you again and we won't even be that far away. I know what I'm doing, just trust me. Please."

Kim gave her a long look before smiling. "Okay, I guess I'm fine with it. I just want you to make good choices."

"I know and I am." She leaned over and gave her a hug.

"Okay so that's settled." Galadriel said, pulling Ronnie out of her thoughts. "So what about Jonah? Have you told him?"

Ronnie stiffened. "Yeah, I told him. He understood. I know I'll make sure to see him as much as I can, but it'll be hard for him not having me there everyday."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll be fine." Galadriel reassured. It was silent for a few seconds.

"Well, I've got to go." Ronnie said.

"Yeah, me too. My aunt's cooking tonight so I have to go pick up something to eat."

"But isn't she cooking?"

"Exactly." Ronnie giggled.

"I'll talk to you soon?"

"Yup, bye."

"Bye." After Ronnie hung up the phone, the sound of people talking and cars honking became more profound. She was about five minutes away from Will's. They had already gotten some stuff in the new apartment and were in the process of officially moving. They only had a few more things left and then they would be in their new home by tonight.

As she crossed the street, Ronnie thought about what Galadriel said. This _was_ a really big step. Moving in with Will was showing that she trusted him and what they have together. It wasn't something to be taken lightly, but she didn't want to think about it too much, either. She was ready for it. She knew that their relationship needed to grow and this was part of the growing process. There were still some other things she was concerned about, but those were part of the process, too. She didn't really know what came over her during her conversation with Will the other day. She was just so overcome with how incredible he was to her and wanted to show him that. She knew that he had been thinking about taking their relationship to that level, even if he didn't say it. She could tell by the way he ogled at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. She liked that he wasn't pressuring her, but she wasn't sure how to handle the situation herself either. Living together meant that they would be near each other all the time, and soon the topic would be brought up, whether she was ready to discuss it or not.

As Ronnie was thinking about this, she pulled open the door to Will's Building. Once inside, she got in the small elevator and pressed the lit up number 2. After walking down the hall, she knocked on Will's door. After what seemed like a lifetime, he answered the door and Ronnie walked in.

"Sorry I took so long. I was inside the back packing up some stuff." He said before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He held the kiss longer than a 'hello' kiss usually was, but Ronnie didn't mind.

"So you almost done?" She asked looking around the pretty much empty apartment. Without all the heavy furniture, books, magazines, and little knick-knacks, the apartment looked a lot bigger.

"Yup. Then it's off to our new home. We're heading there this afternoon to put the last of our stuff away, right?"

"Yup, can't wait." Ronnie said walking down the hall into Will's now mostly empty bedroom. All that was left was a plastic bag with a few paperbacks, a couple of textbooks holding a small lamp on top of them, and an air mattress. Ronnie scanned the floors. _No underwear_, she thought, _check._

Will walked up behind her and placed his arms around her waist, causing her to gasp in surprise. He kissed the small spot behind her ear and she leaned back into him.

"I can't wait to move in with you." He breathed in her ear, causing a tingling feeling to travel up her spine. She took his hands in hers and they just stood there for a moment, savoring each others touch. She giggled as he placed a trail of small kisses down her collarbone and up to her neck. After a while, they pulled away from each other. Ronnie sat down on the air mattress and Will sat down next to her. She placed her head on his shoulder and looked out the open window.

"So have you talked to your parents lately?" She asked Will, who was busy twirling a strand of her hair in between his fingers.

"Yeah, I did." He said quietly. Ronnie tensed up. She knew that Will had told his parents about her moving in. Will's mother wasn't exactly Ronnie's biggest fan and she knew that. The last thing she wanted was for there to be a rift between Will and his parents just because of her.

"Listen, Will. If your mom's upset, then I don't have to-" Will held up his hand.

"I don't want to hear you say that. I value her opinion on a lot of things. But she's not going to stop you from moving in. I wouldn't let anyone stop that. I know you guys don't necessarily get along, to put it lightly, but she can't tell me how to feel. Even if she is my mother. But I'm sure once she finally realizes how serious we are, she'll come around."

Ronnie sighed then gave him a mock smile. "Serious, huh? And to think this whole time I was just playing around and leading you on. I guess you fell for it."

Will wrapped his arms around her. "Why are you always messing with me? Will you still be a bully when we live together?"

Ronnie gasped. "I am not a bully!" she protested. Will laughed. "Yes, you are. You're stubborn, too."

She crossed her arms. "Am not!" He laughed again. "See?" She rolled her eyes and looked at the wall. "Whatever."

He turned her head to kiss her, but she turned back around. He looked over and saw her pouting. He laughed, but she knew that her pout looked way better than his.

"Come on." Ronnie didn't budge. "Okay, I'm sorry I called you a bully. Now can I have a kiss please?" After a few seconds, she turned around and looked at his glorious face before kissing him.

"I've got you wrapped around my finger, don't I?"She asked with a teasing voice. He smiled at her and pulled her up from the mattress.

"You have no idea."

"You got it?" Will asked Ronnie, who was trudging behind him with a heavy box. He said he would carry it, but she insisted on helping anyway. They were walking down the hall to their new apartment.

"I got it. Just keep going." Ronnie trusted her ears to guide her since the box took up her whole view. As they continued walking, Ronnie suddenly heard Will stop. She placed the box on the floor and looked up.

"Will, why'd you-" surprise crossed her face as she saw Iris's striking red hair. Will smiled.

"Iris. This is a surprise. This is Ron-"

Iris smiled back. "We've met." She looked at Ronnie. "I didn't know you were Will's girlfriend."

"I didn't know you knew Will."

"Yeah, we're in the same science program at school. Right, Will?"

"Yeah, when did you two meet?" Will asked.

Iris flipped her red locks over her shoulder. "Just the other day. She practically saved me from having a heart attack."

"What are you doing here?" Ronnie asked, confused.

"Oh, I live here."

"You do?"

Iris smiled and her dimples showed. "Yup, ever since last year. What about you?"

"We're moving in." Will said. Iris's green eyes lit up. "Really? Then I guess we're neighbors."

"Great." Will said. "Where do you live?"

Iris pointed to the ceiling. "Right upstairs." She looked at her watch. "I've got to go. But maybe when I come back we can hang out or something?"

"Sure." Will said. Ronnie turned around and grabbed the box from the floor.

"It was nice seeing you again, Ronnie."

"Yeah, you too." Iris walked down the hall and into the elevator.

Ronnie gripped the box and continued toward the apartment with Will.

"That was a surprise. But I'm glad you met her. She's really nice."

"Yup, she seems that way." Ronnie said with a smile. "Now less talking and more walking. I feel like my arms are gonna fall off."

"Okay." When they finally got to the door, he pulled out the key and turned the lock. After he opened the door, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Welcome home." He said kissing her forehead.

**A/N: Sorry it took me a while to update. Thanks for reading. **** Please Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay so I'm noticing a lot of readers and very few reviews. I just want to know what you guys think of my story so far. It can be short or long, just any comments, critiques, or suggestions. I don't want to be one of those writers that never updates until I get a certain amount of reviews, but it would be greatly appreciated if you took the time to leave one. Okay, enough of that. Enjoy the chapter. **

Will POV

"How about now?" Will asked. Ronnie cocked her head. "Nope, a little more." They had been trying to hang a mirror for what seemed like forever. "How about now?" Will asked. Ronnie examined the mirror again. "No, a little more to the left." Will groaned.

"Come on."

"Okay, okay. Just a little more." Will moved the mirror the tiniest bit he could.

"Okay, perfect." She said, satisfied.

"Ron, that's where I started."

"No, it's not. You started over there. " She said pointing to practically the same spot on the wall.

He sighed and walked over to her. "Whatever, now we are completely finished unpacking and moved in."

Ronnie smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "So how are we going to celebrate?" She asked. It was about 8:30 p.m already. Will pulled her closer to him. "Well, considering it's already pretty late, not much we can do today, but I am pretty hungry."

"Me too. What do you want?" Will looked over at the empty kitchen. "Wow, maybe it would have been a good idea to bring some food huh?"

Ronnie giggled. "Yeah, probably. We can just order something." She broke from Will's grasp and grabbed her cell phone. "Pizza ok?"

"Sure." Will said smiling as he kissed her forehead.

"I don't think I can move." Will said, holding his stomach. Ronnie giggled. "Maybe if you didn't eat like you'd never seen food before, you wouldn't have this problem." Will scoffed but couldn't help but smile. They were sitting on the floor of the living room, with their backs leaned up against the couch. The now empty box of pizza was in between them. He loved this moment. Just being here with Ronnie was still surreal to him. His heart skipped at the idea that they could have nights like this, where they were together, all the time. Without her having to go home because now, this was her home. _Their_ home. He leaned over and placed his hand on the side of her cheek, tracing it lightly. She closed her eyes and leaned into him.

"I've got something for you." He said softly. She lifted her head to look at him. "Really?"

"Mmm-hmm. Just think of it as a little housewarming gift." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the black velvet box he had picked up this morning. He placed it in Ronnie's hand and she sat up to open it. Inside was a necklace with a baby turtle hanging from it. The turtle was a nice emerald color and little diamonds encrusted his shell. It shimmered when she moved it. Ronnie just sat there and looked at it, smiling.

"So I'm guessing that you like it?" Will asked nervously. She slowly turned around and kissed him softly on his lips. "I love it. Thank you." Will smiled in satisfaction and reached over to put the necklace on her. After placing it on her neck, he closed the clasp. "How does it look?" She asked. He kissed her neck. "Beautiful." They sat there and talked for another hour or so before Ronnie yawned. Will looked at the _new_ clock on the wall. It was already 12:20.

"It's getting late." Ronnie said in between yawns. "We should go to sleep if we plan on ever waking up." Will agreed and they both stood up. Ronnie walked into the bathroom and Will cleaned up the mess on the floor. After a while, Ronnie came out wearing some blue and black pajama pants, a blue tank top, and her hair was up in a messy bun. She smelled like baby powder and toothpaste.

"You didn't have to clean up by yourself. I would have helped you."

Will shrugged."Its okay. It wasn't that much anyway." Ronnie nodded and they both stood there without saying anything.

"So…." Will began. Ronnie smiled and giggled.

"What?" He asked. Ronnie continued laughing. "Nothing, its just that I think its cute when you're nervous."

Will scoffed. "Nervous? About what?"

"About me being here. If we're going to be living together, I don't want it to be awkward." Will put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, you're right. So…." Ronnie laughed again. "Hurry up and go change." She said pushing him. While Will was in the bathroom, he remembered one thing that he hadn't thought about, which was their sleeping arrangement. He definitely had no problem with it, but he didn't want Ronnie to be uncomfortable. He wanted to be a gentleman. After he changed and brushed his teeth, he walked out into the bedroom. Ronnie was laying on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed looking at her phone. When she saw Will, she looked up and put her phone on the bedside table. "Finally. For a second, I thought you forgot about me." He walked over and sat next to her with his back up against the headboard.

"So you don't mind if I sleep in here with you?" He asked nervously. Ronnie just looked up at him. "Why would I mind? You're my boyfriend aren't you?" He pulled her close to him and she rested her head on his chest. "But just make sure that you don't piss me off from now on. If you do, then the couch is all yours."

"Wow, it hasn't even been 24 hours and you're already nagging me?"

"No. I'm just establishing ground rules, you know, so we don't have any problems." Will grinned, amused. He ran his hand up and down her back and she leaned into him, placing her arms around his waist. He couldn't help but notice how her body fit perfectly against his own. "So I can't establish my own rules?" He asked.

"Nope" she stated flatly.

"But that's not fair." Will protested.

"Life's not fair." She laughed. They lied there and Will ran his fingers through the stray hair under her bun. "It's almost summer, isn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah, only a month or so left of school. Why?"

"Just asking. But I was just thinking about what we could do for vacation. Would you want to visit Wrightsville Beach?"

Ronnie let out a deep breath and Will felt her grip on him loosen. He quickly dismissed it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay. I've been thinking about it, too. I really want to visit, but I don't know. It might be too painful. Especially with Jonah. I could never go and just leave him here."

"Well, if you decide to go, I'll be there to support you no matter what."

"I know you will." She said giving him a sweet smile. "It might also be a good time for me to get to know your mom better, since she despises me and all." Will sighed and looked down at her. "She doesn't despise you, Ron. Trust me, she's a good person. In time, she'll get to know you better and you guys will get along great. I promise."

"Okay. So what else did she say when you talked to her?"

"You know, the usual stuff. She asked me how my job search is going."

"How is that going?"

"Well, my parents still agree to pay half the rent. My savings are running low, so I guess I actually have to start looking for one. I'll probably start next week."

"Do you need me to help you out?" Ronnie asked, softly. He could tell by her voice that she was getting more tired by the second.

"If you want. I know you have school and practice to worry about. I don't want you to have too much on your mind."

"It's okay, I'll look, too. You have enough to deal with. I'm already a handful, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are. But that's okay. Just the fact that you're here next to me is all I care about."

Blood rushed to her cheeks and she broke into a smile. "Thank you. But you know what I would really love right now?"

"What?"

"To get some sleep." She said turning around. Will chuckled as Ronnie turned on her side, away from him. He reached over and turned out the lamp on the bedside table. As he turned around to lie down, he felt Ronnie's soft hand grab his and put it around her. "Good night. I love you." She mumbled sleepily. He bent down and kissed her hair. "I love you." He said softly and drifted off into the best night's sleep he ever had.

When Will woke up, the sun's light shined brightly through the window. He rolled over and saw Ronnie still asleep next to him. He could lie there and watch her all day. The bun in her hair was gone, her locks splayed out against the pillow. He laid there with his arm around her and looked out the window as a small pigeon sat on the windowsill. After a while, he saw her stir. She slowly turned around and smiled at him.

"Good morning." She said softly.

"Good morning. You sure can sleep. I've been up for a while now. I had to hear you snore for like an hour."

"I do not snore." She said.

"How would you know, you were sleeping." He chuckled. "Whatever." She said turning around to face him. He bent down to kiss her, but she placed her finger on his lips. "What?"

"You said I snore."

"Oh, come on. That's not fair. You know, you've been very stingy with my kisses lately."

"Really?" Ronnie asked amused.

"Yes. It's starting to hurt my feelings. Is that what you want? A boyfriend who's feelings you always hurt?" He asked.

Ronnie crossed her arms, amused. "No, I guess not."

"Thank you. So you should try being a little nicer. That's all I ask. "She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before getting up and walking into the bathroom. Will made up the bed and went into the other bathroom to brush his teeth and take a shower. He got dressed and fixed his hair, which only involved running his hand through it. When he came out, Ronnie was in the living room, putting on her shoes.

"There you are. I was just going to the store to buy some food. We don't have anything here for breakfast. Are you coming?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." He said grabbing his keys off the little table by the door. When he passed Ronnie, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to her. She placed her arm loosely around his waist and kissed him slowly. After he got over the surprise, he kissed her back. They stood there for quite some time, his lips moving in perfect synchronization with hers. When they finally parted, he looked down at her. "So now you kiss me?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. Now your teeth are brushed."

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey, readers. Sorry I took so long to update. I didn't have my computer for a while and then I had some major writer's block. Thank you for reviewing and to all the people who favorited my story. I might put up another chapter or two this week so keep checking. Enjoy. **

Ronnie POV

"So is it possible?" Jonah asked with an orange Popsicle in his mouth.

"Is what possible?" Ronnie asked.

"Can you sneeze with your eyes open?" Ronnie giggled. She loved Jonah's way of coming up with random questions. They were sitting outside on the patio of Ronnie's apartment, eating Popsicles and watching the cars and birds go by. They had been sitting there all afternoon and the sun was starting to set, but they didn't even notice. Ronnie was just happy to have Jonah there. She loved being with him and let him come over anytime he asked, which was pretty often.

"So….?"

"Jonah, I don't think that's a good idea. It's probably dangerous, you might blow your eyes out of your sockets or something."

Jonah's eyes lit up behind his glasses. "Really, you think so, because that would be so cool!"

"Okay, I think you've had enough Popsicles." Ronnie laughed as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"So what do you want to do this summer?" She asked. Jonah grabbed another Popsicle from the box on the floor. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Well, I was thinking about going back to Wrightsville beach. If you wanted to." Ronnie said softly. She waited anxiously for his reaction.

Jonah took a deep breath and let the Popsicle hang lazily from his hand, its red juice running down his arm and onto the stone floor. "I guess it would be nice. You know, to see the beach and stuff."

"Listen, Jonah, if it's too hard for you, then we won't go. I don't want you to do something you're not ready for, okay?"

Jonah sighed and pushed his glasses up the rim of his nose. "No, it's okay. I want to go. I want to remember all the good things that happened there. Dad would have wanted me to, right?"

Ronnie leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Of course he would." She looked at her watch. Jonah frowned.

"What?" She asked.

"Every time you look at your watch, that means I have to go."

"No it doesn't." Ronnie said softly.

"Yes it does. I like staying here. I don't have to go, do I?"

Ronnie sighed. "Of course you don't. It's Friday anyway, why don't we just ask mom if you can sleep over." Just as Ronnie said this, they both heard the front door open. Jonah turned his head to look into the apartment. "Will's here." He said before jumping out of the chair and knocking over the box of Popsicles. Ronnie couldn't help but smile at Jonah's enthusiasm. After she picked up the box, she walked inside.

"Hey, Jonah."

"Hi, Will. Hey, I had a question. Do you mind sneezing with your eyes open for me?"

Will's brow furrowed. "Um, I don't think I can sneeze on command…..or with my eyes open."

Jonah rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. "Whatever."

Will smiled and walked over to Ronnie. "Sorry I came so late, I was working on something in the library." He rested his hand on her waist and kissed her softly. Jonah looked up from the counter and groaned. "Ok, Ew. I'm still in the room."

Ronnie pulled away from Will. "Come on, let's go tell mom you're staying over."

"So how did your job search go?" Ronnie asked as she crawled into bed with Will. His laptop was rested on his lap and he was typing furiously.

"It might go better once I actually start looking for one." He said. Ronnie rolled her eyes. "It's not good to be a procrastinator."

"I'm not a procrastinator. I'm just putting off something that I could do now if I chose too." Ronnie sighed and smiled at him. "I really don't know what I see in you."

"Mmm…. could it be that I'm an amazing kisser." He said gently placing a kiss on her lips.

"Nope, that's not it."

"Ha-Ha, very funny." Will said loudly. Ronnie smacked him in the chest. "Keep it down." She said reminding him that Jonah was asleep in the other room.

"Sorry, I forgot. I don't know why, considering he's been here like everyday."

"Yeah, he's been taking up a lot of my time and attention lately, but I don't mind."

"Yeah, you're right." Will said looking down at the laptop.

Ronnie noticed the slight change in his voice. "Aww, are you jealous?" she teased.

"Please, Ron. Like I'm jealous of my girlfriend's little brother."

"Well, good. Because then I would have to try to make you not jealous." She said coyly. Will closed the laptop and set it on the nightstand. He leaned back and rested his head on the headboard. Ronnie put her arms around his waist and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "And how would you do that?" He asked.

Ronnie thought for a moment. "Well, for one, I'd have to pay attention to you a lot more. I'd have to be nicer, no more wise-cracks. We would spend a lot more time together. I couldn't make fun of your flaws and I'd agree with you when you say you're an amazing kisser."

"That sounds great." He said with a smile on his face.

"I know, it's too bad you're not jealous."

Ronnie walked down the hall of the quiet apartment building. Will was out running errands and Ronnie was on her way to the store. As she was walking down the hall, she heard a small banging noise. She walked down the hall to the window and saw Iris sitting up on the window ledge above their floor with a slingshot in her hand. When she saw Ronnie she smiled.

"Hey, Ronnie. Come up here."

Ronnie walked up the stairs to Iris's floor. She climbed up and sat on the side of the ledge opposite her.

"What was that noise?" Ronnie asked once she was comfortable. Iris picked up the slingshot and put a small peanut in it before she aimed it at a frying pan on the wall. It made a perfect ding as it hit the pan right in the middle.

"Oh, so this is how you spend your day?" Ronnie asked grabbing a peanut from the bag next to them. Iris shot the pan again. "Yup, but sometimes I use cashews." She smiled.

"So do you stay here alone?" She asked. Iris popped a peanut into her mouth before answering.

"You could say that. Sometimes friends stay over, but I'm pretty much alone. But I like it that way. If someone was with me, I would feel like they're intruding or something."

Ronnie nodded and looked as a slew of birds flew across from them.

"So it's just you and Will?" Iris asked.

"Yeah, sometimes my little brother comes around, but it's just us."

"So I'm guessing you don't have strict parents. Most of them freak out when their kids move out."

Ronnie spoke hesitantly. "My mom was a little doubtful, but she's okay with it."

"And your dad?"

Ronnie cleared her throat and held back the bitter tears that had already formed in her throat. "He uh, passed away last year."

Iris's calm composure was gone and replaced with regret. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have asked if I knew."

"It's okay. So what about your parents? They come around?"

"No, I don't have any. Well technically I do, but they aren't around. My dad's been in prison for a while and I don't really talk to my mom. I'm fine though, you have to make the best of a crappy situation, right? I guess that's why I'm such a great artist. Canvas is like my best friend and therapy wrapped into one."

"That's kinda like me and my piano." Ronnie said throwing a peanut at the frying pan. "If I didn't play, I'd probably go crazy."

"Wouldn't Will keep you sane?" Iris asked.

"I guess. But sometimes the things he does makes me question whether he's sane." Iris giggled, her green eyes gleaming.

Ronnie joined in and smiled. "But it's okay. He's been my rock through all of this. It's scary how much I love him."

"You're lucky." Iris said. "Most guys aren't like him. I know from experience. Most guys I've gone out with were awful. Like I said, I don't want an intruder or anything, but it wouldn't be bad to have someone nice to sling my peanuts with."

Ronnie smiled. "I'm sure there's someone out there who likes art and slinging peanuts just as much as you do."

"I doubt it. I'm one of a kind. How many other losers do you know that do this on a Saturday?"

"Well, I'm here." Ronnie said. "We're losers together." They both laughed and Iris ran her fingers through her hair. "Man, I really need a boyfriend."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Read and Review please. **

Will POV

"Babe, are you up?" Will asked.

"Mmmm." Ronnie mumbled.

"Is that a yes or no?"

"Mmmm."

"So I'm guessing you're not awake?"

"Ugh!" Ronnie groaned, getting up. "Fine, I'm awake. God, you're annoying."

Will chuckled and Ronnie kicked him with her leg. "Okay, I'm sorry. It's not my fault you hibernate every time you sleep."

"Ha ha. Now, why did you wake me up, and tell me soon because I'm really trying to resist the urge to kick you again."

"Okay. I just talked to my mom and told her we were thinking about going to Wrightsville beach soon and she said we could stay with her if we wanted. She's having some of my family over, so you'll be able to meet them. What do you think?"

"I think that's great. I talked to Jonah and he said he's okay with it."

"Awesome, road trip."

"You mean I have to spend 11 hours with you in a car?"

Will put his hand to his heart. "Ouch, after I woke you up so nicely."

Ronnie smiled deviously. "I think I'm feeling that urge again."

Will walked down the street with his books in his hand. He watched as countless taxis and cars passed by him. He still wasn't completely used to the pace of New York. Everything always seemed to be going a little bit too fast for him. He was very happy to be going back to Wrightsville beach. He wanted to see his family and feel the crisp air of the beach, the warm sun on his skin. Being with Ronnie would make it even better. Though he knew that it probably wouldn't be easy for her. She hadn't been their since her father died. He wanted this to be a fun trip, not some sad return to the past. It was amazing to him how much had happened in a little less than a year. He met the love of his life, broken up, made up, broken up, went through the death of her father, and followed her here to New York. Now he couldn't imagine his life without her. He often found himself thinking about their long term future together and how things would be like 5 years from now or even 10 years. He couldn't get over how perfect she was to him and wanted to have a long, happy life with her. Will's thoughts were interrupted as he saw a little boy rush past him with a plastic bag in his hand. The boy was followed by an older looking man that seemed to be his father. Will watched as they walked into a store on the corner of the street. The store was about 4 stories high and spawned down the block. Will was surprised he had never noticed it before. He walked down the street and inside. There were collections of people scattered around the room. He was amazed as he saw a slew of tanks gathered around a lit up wall. The tanks carried exotic fish and marine animals. They ran down a long corridor leading to another room. Will looked at the little boy who rushed past him talk to a man at the desk in the front of the room.

"But mister, you said it would be fine."

"I'm sure it'll be okay, we just have to look at it. Then I'll know what's wrong." The man said, gesturing to the plastic bag in the boy's hand. Will looked at it and saw a small goldfish inside. He walked over to it to get a closer look.

"Please hurry, mister," the boy said impatiently and loudly. "My fish is dying!"

"It probably just has Ich." Will said. The little boy grew even more impatient. "What's that?"

"Well, it's a parasite that is causing your goldfish to have those little bumps." He said pointing to the fish. "Just clean out your tank and get some medicine for this little guy and he'll be fine, ok?" The boy smiled happily and looked at the man in the desk. "Can I have some medicine please?" The man took the boy's hand and they disappeared into a back room. Will walked around and looked at all the tanks. There was a wide range of marine life, from some exotic fish he had never seen before to some baby water turtles. After awhile, the boy came out triumphantly and walked out of the store. The man followed soon after.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Sully." He said shaking Will's hand. Will introduced himself. "Hey, how did you know about that fish?" he asked. Will continued looking at the tanks, fascinated. "I used to work for my dad's aquarium in North Carolina. These are incredible. I'm surprised I've never seen this place before."

"Oh, we just opened about two weeks ago. We've got a lot more things to see in the back though." Will followed the man through the long corridor. To his surprise there was even more back there. There were tanks with sea turtles, little sharks, and small porpoises. After a complete tour, they walked back to the front of the Aquarium.

"Hey, we're just starting out and wouldn't mind a helping hand. How would you like to work here?"

Will looked flabbergasted, as he wasn't expecting this. "Really? Sure, that'd be great. Thank you."

"Good, here's our number, you can call tomorrow to get the details." Will took the card and walked out the aquarium with a huge smile on his face.

"So when are you starting?" Ronnie asked.

"I don't know yet, I have to call tomorrow." He said. Will was anticipating his new job and told Ronnie as soon as he got home.

"Well, I'm happy for you. It seems that even lazy people get what they want sometimes. Now I just have to find a job."

"Ron, I already told you, you don't have to if you don't want to. I don't want you under too much stress."

"Oh, so it's okay if you're under stress?" She asked.

"Well, yeah. I'm the guy, so I should be handling the most stress."

"Hmm…I didn't know you felt that way. So sexist."

"I'm not sexist."

"Ok."

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Sure, I do." Ronnie smiled and walked away.

"Only two more weeks left of school, and then we're free." Will said as he sat on the edge of the bed. Ronnie sat upright in the middle with a book in her hand. Will looked over in the corner and saw his cell phone on the ground.

"Hey, how'd my phone get there?"

Ronnie leaned over and looked at it. "I don't know, I saw it on the floor but I didn't pick it up. I wouldn't want to stress myself out." Will let out a deep breath. "Really? You're doing this?"

"If you would learn to say the right things, I wouldn't have to do this." Will let out a small smile and scooted to the middle of the bed. He took the book out of Ronnie's hand and tossed it on the floor. He leaned on his elbows and laid his head on Ronnie's toes. "So you're really mad at me?" He asked in his softest voice.

"Mmm-hmm. And you have to drive the whole way to Wrightsville."

Will placed a small kiss on her toes and looked up. "Do you forgive me now?" Ronnie shook her head and Will moved up. He kissed her leg and grabbed her wrist. He placed small kisses in her palm and up her arm. He sat next to her and kissed her neck, taking in her sweet smell. She giggled when his lips traced her collarbone. A smile crossed her face as he kissed her lips.

"Do you forgive me now?"

Ronnie pulled his face to hers, their foreheads touching.

"Mmm-hmm. But you still have to drive."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed and favorited my story. Enjoy **

Ronnie POV

"Are we there yet?" Jonah asked.

Ronnie sighed "No, Jonah, it's only been 2 hours. We have a long way to go." Ronnie, Will, and Jonah were in the car. School had ended for them about 3 weeks ago and they were on their way to Wrightsville Beach. It was Friday and almost noon. They planned to stop in about 4 hours to get some gas and eat at a rest stop. Ronnie stared out the window of the rental car they picked up. She had been waiting for this trip for several weeks. As she looked at Will driving, she couldn't believe they were going back to the place where it had all started. Where she had met the guy of her dreams and gone on a whirlwind journey she would never forget. She longed to go to the beach and feel the sand between her toes, watch the turtles crawl along the shore. She was excited to see Galadriel and hang out at the pier. But the darker thoughts still loomed in the back of her head. How would she feel when she walked into her father's home? Would she be okay with it or would the strong feelings of grief overwhelm her? Would she long for the walks they took together or the nights they spent just talking? She forced those thoughts out of her head and focused on the lighter picture. She turned around and kissed Will on the cheek. So focused on driving, his eyes widened in surprise until he finally smiled at her.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'm just happy to be here with you." She said softly.

"Hey, what about me? I'm right here, you know." Jonah said. Ronnie giggled. "You too, Jonah."

"I can't believe you really made me drive the whole way. I think my feet are going to fall off." Will complained. It was 9:30 and Jonah was sound asleep in the backseat.

"Stop complaining, we're almost there anyway." Ronnie said. They arrived in Wrightsville a little while ago and were almost to Will's parents' house. "You know, being in the car with you this whole time wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Ronnie stated. Will smiled. "Ha ha. You know, one day when I suffer from extreme depression and low self confidence, you'll regret insulting me so much."

Ronnie scoffed "Yeah, I don't think so." They both laughed as Will pulled into the driveway.

"Wake up, Jonah. We're here." Ronnie whispered. Will grabbed the bags from the trunk as Ronnie walked a very sleepy and confused Jonah out of the car. They made their way to the very grand set of front door steps. Looking through the window, Ronnie caught a glimpse of the extravagant chandeliers and chairs inside. She saw the large foyer and grand staircase. Suddenly she felt very nervous and self conscience. She remembered how out of place she felt the first time she came here. As she stood there while Will rang the doorbell, she worried that this trip would just be another opportunity to embarrass herself in front of Will's parents. The last thing she wanted was to make Susan hate her even more. She held Jonah, who was still half asleep, tighter to her chest and sighed nervously. Will noticed the change in her composure. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She lied. Will put the bags down next to him and placed his arm on the side of her cheek. "Don't worry. It's not like it's your first time meeting them. Everything will be fine." She looked up at his gorgeous face; the moonlight was hitting it perfectly. "Okay." He smiled. "Good. Now if only they would just open the door." He groaned. Just as he said this, Tom opened the door, his mouth setting into a big smile.

"Hey, son. What took you so long?" he said happily as he pulled Will into a Bear hug. "Hey, Dad. How've you been?"

"I'm great. Hey Ronnie." He smiled as he pulled Ronnie into a warm hug. She felt some of her nervous energy melt away at Tom's good nature. She was happy to see that his attitude toward her didn't change.

"And might this be Jonah?" he asked gesturing to the hibernating boy. "Yes, here he is." Ronnie said. Tom nodded. "You've grown since I last saw you. Pleasure to formally meet you, buddy." He said offering his hand. Jonah merely nodded and mumbled some gibberish. "I guess someone's tired." Tom said.

"Hey, where's mom?" Will asked bringing the bags inside.

Tom looked around. "I'll go get her. I think she's upstairs somewhere. She's been waiting for you guys all day, you know." As Tom disappeared upstairs, Will set the bags in the living room. Ronnie sat Jonah on the couch and stood next to Will. After a few minutes, Susan walked into the living room. Her face lit up as she saw Will and she quickly pulled him into her arms.

"Hey, mom" He said. She held him tightly, as if afraid he might disappear. "Oh, I've missed you." She said. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How's everything been here?" He asked.

"Quiet. I've been forced to hang out with your father."

Tom yelled from the kitchen. "I heard that!" Susan smiled and looked at Ronnie, finally becoming aware of her presence.

"Ronnie." She said, the excitement in her voice beginning to fade. She walked over and pulled Ronnie into an awkward, I'm-only-doing-this-for-my-son hug. "How've you been?"

Ronnie nodded nervously. "Fine." was all she could manage to get out of her looked over at Jonah. "This must be your brother. Josh is it?"

"It's Jonah." Will answered quickly. "Can we put him up to bed? He's been asleep for a while now."

"Sure, I've set up the guest house for you out back." Will grabbed the bags and they walked through the house.

Ronnie sat on the edge of the bed going through her messages. Galadriel had texted her about a million times since they got to Wrightsville. She couldn't wait till it was day so she and Ronnie could see each other. Ronnie smiled at the dozens of things Galadriel said they had to do, as if they were two 10 year olds who only got to see each other every summer at camp. Jonah was asleep in one of the other bedrooms of the guesthouse. She put her phone down and looked out the window. She gazed at the moon overlooking the beautiful landscape. She felt a little strange not being with Will. They had been together every night for over a month. She assumed he would sleep somewhere else, so his parents wouldn't raise any questions. They might find it inappropriate for them to be together. She sighed softly as his image began to flood her mind. His beautiful face shone bright in front of her. In fact, it was so vivid, it was like she was actually looking at him. She saw his figure coming closer and closer to her until she figured out it really was him.

"Will?" she called out the window. He smiled and opened the window more. She watched as he tried to climb in, but his shorts got stuck in the hem of the windowsill. He struggled for a few seconds until he finally broke through and entered the room, nearly tripping over his own feet. "Wow." She said.

"Hey, that was harder that it looked."

"Why didn't you just come through the front door?" she suggested. He walked over and sat on the bed.

"Because that was more romantic. How many other guys would come through the dangers of a window just to see you?" She giggled at his silly logic.

"Does your mom know you're here?"

"I don't think so. It doesn't matter, she can't tell me what to do."

"Come on, go to your room. I don't want us to get in trouble." Will sighed and got more comfortable.

"We're fine. She's not going to come in here anyway. They're probably already asleep." He said pulling Ronnie into his arms.

"How do you know that?" She said placing her arms around his neck."

"Because I know everything."

"Oh, you mean like how you knew you would get stuck in that window?"

"Exactly." They both laughed. Will twirled his finger though Ronnie's hair. "So what are you doing tomorrow?" he asked softly.

"I'm going to see Galadriel in the afternoon. But I wanted to do something else before that."

"What is it?"

"I wanted to go to my dad's house." Will remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt her. She continued. "I don't really know if I'm ready for it, but I won't know if I don't try. I think it may be a little easier with Jonah there." Will placed his hand under her chin. He gently lifted her face up to his and kissed her softly. "I'm so proud of you." He said looking into her eyes. She felt her heart melt as she saw him gazing at her. She knew that he genuinely meant what he said and she loved him even more for it. "I'll come with you if you want." He offered.

"Of course. It's not like you have anything else to do."

"I happen to have a very busy schedule." Will said matter-of-factly. "Really?" Ronnie asked amusingly.

"Yes, it just so happens to revolve around you." Ronnie blushed. "How am I ever supposed to go to sleep if you keep saying things like that?"

Will smiled and kissed her forehead. He turned off the light and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Good night, love you." Ronnie said. "Love you, too." After a few minutes, Will stirred.

"Hey, Ron, I think I ripped my pants in that window."

**A/N: Review please **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey, readers, enjoy chapter 10. I'll try to update more frequently. **

Will POV

"So how do you like New York?" Susan asked Will. They were all sitting at the table having breakfast. Will looked up from his plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "It's great there. I'm really enjoying Columbia." Will paused and looked over at Ronnie who sat quietly next to him, her head looking down at her plate. He knew she felt self conscious and his mother wasn't helping. She hadn't said a word to Ronnie all morning and made no effort to bring her into conversation. Will grabbed Ronnie's hand underneath the table causing her to look up at him.

"Ronnie's doing really well at Julliard too. She performed an original piece in the end of the year showcase. It was really great."

Susan's eyebrows raised, surprised at the turn the conversation had taken. "That's nice, I'm sure that was fun for you." She said stiffly.

Ronnie cleared her throat, and forced a smile. "It was. I'm having a great time there."

"So," said Tom with half a sausage in his mouth. "How's the apartment?"

"It's fine, Dad. Once I get back, I'll start work so I can pay the other half of the rent."

"Oh, yeah. Congratulations on the job. I'm happy you're taking care of yourself up there. Your mom and I won't be here to support you forever, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"What about you, Ronnie. What else are you up to?" Tom asked.

"Well, I'm looking for a job, too. I don't want Will to pay his part of the rent alone."

Susan nodded and ran her fingertip over the rim of her glass. She kept her eyes on Ronnie and studied her face intently. "So everything is okay with your living arrangements?" she asked, her eyes never leaving Ronnie's face. Will sighed and closed his eyes. He knew his mother would ask this. "Yes, it's fine. We've enjoyed living together. I think it's made us closer." Ronnie smiled as he squeezed her hand with his thumb.

Susan nodded again and continued. Tom, oblivious to what was going on, just ate his breakfast.

"But are you sure everything's ok? Why, you're only in your first couple of months. Sure everything seems great and dandy now, but a lot could happen in a little time. You guys haven't even been together a year yet. There have been many couples like you who have had their relationships ruined by-"

"OK, that's enough, Mom." Will interrupted clanking his fork down on the plate. It was loud and firm enough that everyone stopped to look up at him. "I think you've said enough."

"Don't throw a fit, Will. I'm just being honest. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt-"

"Just stop, ok?" Will said, the anger in his voice beginning to rise. Ronnie noticed this and ran her hand against his arm. "Calm down." She whispered so softly only he could hear her. He felt his anger begin to subside and he rose to excuse himself from the table.

Ronnie walked quietly into the backyard verandah. She saw Will sitting in one of the swings in the corner, looking over the railing to the lake. She walked over and sat down next to him, looking at his profile. She softly placed her hand over his. "You ok?"

"No," he said, he turned around quickly to face her. "No, I'm not."

"Listen, it's ok. You don't have to argue with your mom because of me-"

"That's not the point. Don't you get it? This whole time I've been trying to reassure you that everything would be fine and that she would see how amazing you are and you two would get along great. But don't you see what she's doing? She's not going to stop and I don't want that to drive you away. She's not like my father. Once she's set on something, she won't back down. That's not fair to you. It's not fair that you have to go through her scrutinizing you every chance she gets. I can't bear to see you get hurt like that. You don't deserve it." He took a deep breath to calm down the anger that had started to boil inside him again and looked over the railing. Ronnie waited a few minutes for him to continue and when he didn't, she began speaking.

"I know that not everything is going to be fixed in one night. I don't expect it to. But I don't want your anger to force her to like me either. I want her to love and accept me on her own, not because you forced her too by getting upset with her. Trust me, it's not going to drive me away. Nothing would drive me away from you. If anything, I'm more determined to get on her good side. So don't worry about it. We didn't come here to argue with each other." She took Will's hand into both of her own. "We came here to get closer. Right?"

Will looked down into her eyes. Her face was flushed and her eyes showed she was still a bit groggy from sleep. Her hair fell loosely over her cheek and her lips were slightly curled into a soft half smile. She was perfect.

He placed his hand on the side of her cheek and kissed her tenderly on her forehead. They both closed their eyes and he wrapped his arms around her. They rocked back and forth on the swing for a little while and watched as a flock of ducks waddled into the lake. It was so peaceful.

"Ok, let's go!" Ronnie said, spontaneously jumping from the bench. She was up so fast that Will nearly fell over. "Go where?" he asked confused.

"It's our first day back, we're not just going to sit here the whole time."

Will shook his head. "You just had to disrupt the peace, didn't you?"

Ronnie smiled and pushed him off the swing, causing him to fall over and roll down a small hill. He finally landed in a small garden off to the corner. When he got up, he had little peonies attached all over his body. He found Ronnie laughing near the swing and ran toward her. They chased each other for quite some time until they heard Jonah come out onto the verandah. He looked at them both and shook his head. "Am I the only mature one around here?"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Read and Review **

Ronnie POV

"Galadriel!" Ronnie screamed as she ran toward her friend. Galadriel was sitting on a bench near the pier. She jumped as Ronnie came toward her and pulled her into a hug.

"Ronnie! I've been waiting forever, what took you so long?" Ronnie sighed and pointed toward Will and Jonah walking up to them. "Those two were taking hours to leave the house."

Jonah stopped and rolled his eyes. "I wasn't the one who was rolling around in flowers, thank you very much." Galadriel smiled and hugged him. "Nice to see you again, Jonah."

"What about me?" Will said hugging Galadriel. After all the hellos, Will took Jonah to get something to eat, while Ronnie and Galadriel sat at a table.

"So how does it feel to be back?" Galadriel asked, rolling a toothpick between her fingers.

"Great. I forgot how much I liked it here until I got back."

"How'd it go with Will's parents?" Ronnie tucked her hair behind her ear. "Not great." She said softly.

"What happened?"

"Well, his mom didn't exactly give me the warmest welcome, to put it lightly." Galadriel could see the tension in Ronnie's face and quickly changed the subject. "Well, I'm sure it'll get better. So what else is new? How's the apartment?"

Ronnie's expression softened. "Awesome."

"So I'm guessing he doesn't leave the seat up?" Galadriel asked. Ronnie giggled "No thankfully." They sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching the waves over the railing. "So...have you talked to Marcus?"

Galadriel tensed up and threw the toothpick over the railing. "No, I've seen him around a few times, but he just avoids me. It's not like I want him back, but it still feels weird not being with him." She looked down at the table. Ronnie felt bad for her friend. Even after all the crap Marcus had put her through, he was still her boyfriend and it was still a breakup. Breakups aren't easy, she knew that from experience. Ronnie put her hand over Galadriel's. "It's okay, you don't need him anyway. He doesn't deserve you. You'll find someone that appreciates how great you are." Galadriel smirked and said "Sorry, we don't all have Wills in our lives."

"Why does everyone say that? He's not all that great anyway."

"Really?"

"No, he is." They both laughed.

Will put his arm around Ronnie while he kept one hand on the steering wheel. "Feels good to be back in the ole' truck."

Ronnie scoffed. "Yeah, I really missed the bumpy rides and motor oil stench."

"Hey, don't diss the truck." Ronnie rolled down the window and leaned her head against the door. "Why couldn't we just take the rental car? It's burning up in here."

"You know the AC will be fixed tomorrow. And come on, I've missed her."

Ronnie brought her head up. "Her?"

"Yeah, this truck is like my wife. I would never give her up. You on the other hand….. I don't know."

"Ha-ha very funny. I wonder if you can kiss your truck too." She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the door. Will chuckled. "Come on, you're not mad are you?" He started to frown as he didn't get a response, but grinned when he heard her soft, muffled snore.

It was about 10:30. Jonah was sound asleep in the guest house. Ronnie sat outside on the swing, sipping tea from a small mug. She watched as Will came outside with a tray of cookies and sat down next to her. The lights had come on and the garden was illuminated. It was silent except for the sounds of crickets and the gentle pitter patter of the fountains. "Did you talk to your mom?" Ronnie asked softly. When they came home today, Will hadn't said a word about their argument in the morning. "Not really. She just asked if I wanted something to eat and that's all. I guess she doesn't care anymore."

"Of course she cares. She just doesn't want to upset you."

"Maybe." Will took a bite of a cookie. "Did you have fun with Galadriel?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Did you guys talk about me? Of course you did"

"Why are you assuming we talked about you?"

"Because you always talk about me. Your life revolves around me, remember?" Ronnie punched him in the stomach.

"Hey, I'm eating." He complained through chuckles.

"Don't worry, if you choke, I'll get one of the crickets to do the Heimlich maneuver." He grinned. Ronnie took another sip from her cup before looking up at Will. "I want to go to my dad's house."


	12. Chapter 12

Ronnie POV

Ronnie heard the steps creak as she walked onto the old, rotting porch. She held Will's hand as they walked together in the darkness. As they got closer to the bungalow, Ronnie felt a wave of anxiety hit her. She didn't know what drove her to coming here at this very moment, but she felt like there was something drawing her to the house. Was she ready for this? She felt even worse not having Jonah with her, but she didn't want to wake him up. She also wanted to prove to herself that she was okay with this, so that she could be strong for Jonah. She didn't know what to expect and simply followed as Will led the way. When he suddenly stopped, she froze.

"You okay?" he asked, searching for her eyes in the darkness. Ronnie nodded. "I'm fine. Just a little anxious." She looked up and saw the familiar chipping paint and missing shingles of the roof. The last couple of months before her father passed, they were actually kind of welcoming and made the house feel homey. But now they just seemed to add an eeriness that wasn't there before. She let go of Will and walked to the front door, standing there for just a minute. She felt her mouth dry up when she realized he wasn't going to answer the door. She took the key from the plant near the door and slid it into the lock. As she walked into the house, she smelled something rotting and felt a wad of hot, stuffy air slap her in the face. She walked over and opened the window near the door to let the breeze in. She walked to the middle of the room and looked around, taking it all in. The bookshelf that stood by the wall in the corner, the couch that was always a little slanted, and the piano, still in the small alcove across from the living room. Everything had a thick layer of dust on it that made them look like priceless antiques, rather than old knick knacks that belonged her father. She sighed and walked over to the piano, sitting down on the dusty bench. She laid her head on the top of the piano and let her hand glide lazily over the keys. She frowned when she opened her eyes and found tears on the keys. As she sat there, she thought about how empty and quiet it was. But for some strange reason, she also felt a feeling of peace. A feeling that hadn't been there before. She thought back to last summer. She remembered how devastated she was when she found out that he was sick. How the house seemed to carry a new vibe. Of course she would feel better when they would take their walks or when they would sit on the couch and talk for hours, but there was always that feeling. A feeling of anxiety and dread. That feeling that reminded her that their time together was limited. That he would be gone soon. That there was yet another chapter to their story. And as she sat there at the piano, she realized that this was the missing piece. That feeling was the thought of losing him. Now that he was gone, the house didn't hold that feeling anymore. In a sense, she felt a huge weight had been lifted off of her. The sickness was over and the days she spent thinking about how she would tell Jonah he was gone were over. The nights she cried herself to sleep and prayed to God, asking him why it had to be her father were over. Instead, she sat there, finally at peace with herself, at peace with the world. She sat there in acceptance and realized that she was still here. That she was living for him, in remembrance of him. And that was enough for her. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn't notice that Will had come inside. He slowly sat down next to her. "You okay?" She looked up and placed her hand softly on the side of his cheek. "I'm wonderful. Absolutely wonderful."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in forever, been really busy. Enjoy the chapter. **

Will POV

Will wiped his hands on a rag and sat down on a bench in the corner. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Apparently, his dad didn't understand that by him moving away he had quit working in the brake shop. But of course he had asked Will to put in a few hours to help out. Will didn't mind though. He liked working, it gave him a sense that everything was back to the way it used to be. He looked around the room; minus the eerie silence.

Logan slid out from underneath a car and wiped the grease off his hands. "Hey, I'm going to head out. You need help with anything?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks." Logan nodded and grabbed his stuff in the corner before walking out. Will sighed and looked at the time. It was 1:30. It felt like it had been ages, when it had only been about 2 hours. It felt odd without Scott. When they were both working, time flew by, as they were laughing and joking around. Now the shop was quiet and all he actually had to do was work. Logan didn't really help the cause since he barely ever talked. He was just a guy his father hired to help around when Will left. It wasn't that he hated him, but he just felt a little depressed to be in the shop with someone other than Scott. The last time he had talked to Scott was a few weeks after he had settled down in New York. Their conversation was stiff and he could tell that Scott, like his mother, didn't really understand his decision o just leave Vanderbilt to follow Ronnie. After a little while, they just stopped talking and drifted apart. He heard that Scott had come down from NCSU for the summer to see his family, but he never saw him and Scott made no effort to contact him either. He threw the rag he was holding over his shoulder and finished the car he was working on. After he was done, he went to the bathroom to clean up and change his shirt. He figured he had done enough so he got the keys and proceeded to lock up the shop. As he was turning around he felt himself bump into someone and heard a familiar voice as the blonde bent down to pick up what she had dropped. "Sorry" she mumbled getting up. Will froze when he saw Ashley standing in front of him.

"Ashley?"

"Will. Wow, it feels like I haven't seen you in years."

"Yeah, same here. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um I was just picking this up for a friend." She said gesturing to a bag of food. "So did you come down for the summer?"

"Yeah, you know I can't stay away from Wrightsville." Ashley smiled and her perfectly white teeth shone like diamonds. They stood there in awkward silence for a while before she sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened last summer. I had no business saying what I did to Ronnie. I've been feeling really bad about it and I just want to apologize. It was stupid and immature of me to go about it that way."

Will looked down at her. She looked different. It wasn't her looks that had changed. She still had those blue eyes and her striking blonde hair, hugging her sharp features. But there was something different about her. Her demeanor had changed. She didn't seem to be the same. She seemed to be a different Ashley, one that saw the world differently. And for the first time since he'd ever known her, she actually seemed nervous and self-conscious. She stood awkwardly and kept shoving her hair behind her ear. After a while, he spoke.

"Well, I accept your apology. I'm glad that you realized what you did was wrong."

She nodded and looked down at the ground. "So how's Ronnie?"

"Great. She came down with me, and Jonah, too. But I love New York. I'm doing really well at Columbia."

"So I guess you're finally happy then?" Will took in her question and gave a small smile. "Yeah, I am. And you?"

"I'm getting there." She said looking at him. He caught her eyes for a second and saw her staring at him. She was searching his face for something but he didn't know what. She snapped out of her trance and gripped the bag tighter. "Well, I've got to go. My friends are waiting."

"Alright. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you around, Will" She said walking past him. He finished closing up the shop and slowly turned around in her direction. And just as he imagined, she was looking back at him, too.

Ronnie POV

"Okay, connect piece A into slot D." Ronnie read to Will. She was holding a book of instructions for a bookshelf they were making. They were inside her father's house and Will stood in front of the pile of wood. "Ron, I don't even know which one is piece A." She scoffed. "See, I told you it wasn't a good idea to dump everything on the floor." They had been fixing up the bungalow for the past week. Ronnie had cleaned up everything and even made some repairs, like fixing the window near the kitchen and waxing the old wooden floors. She liked fixing up the house; it gave her something to do. It also smelled a lot better, making it easier for her to play the piano without choking on the stench that was there the first time she walked in. The old bookshelf that was in the corner had begun to lean one day, until finally collapsing onto the floor, thus them building a new one.

"So what do we do now?" she asked. Will collapsed onto the couch. "How about sleep?" he said resting his head on a pillow. Ronnie sat down and he lifted his head to rest it on her lap. She gently ran her fingers through his hair. "Are you really that tired?"

"No, I just have no clue how to put that thing together." She laughed. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out later. How was work today?"

"Ok, boring, though." Ronnie stared at him. "I know you miss Scott. Why don't you just try calling him?"

Will sighed and sat up. "It's not that simple. People drift apart. I know he's still pissed at me. I'll talk to him when it's time." He put his arm around Ronnie and held her close. She put her legs over his lap and leaned into him. She figured she shouldn't press the subject. After all, it was kind of her fault. If she wasn't still with Will, Scott probably wouldn't be upset with him and they would still be friends. "I guess you're right."Will rubbed her back for a few minutes. She watched outside as the sun began to set, creating a nice shade of pink and purple in the sky. "You ever think about the future?" he whispered.

"Of course I do. Like when we're going to get up and get something to eat." Will smiled. "No, I'm serious. Don't you think about us, where life will take us?" Ronnie's face took on a serious expression. Of course she thought about them, all the time. Having careers, getting married, starting a family. She dreamed about being with Will for the rest of her life. But sometimes, she felt that little obstacles got in the way of that. "Yeah, I do." She answered. "I dream of a having my career on track and starting a family. But it seems so far away right now." Her eyes narrowed. Will put his finger under her chin and gently lifted her face. "What do you mean?" She sighed and pulled away from him. "I mean all the problems, Will. They all come back to me. Your mom's upset with you because of me. You don't even talk to your best friend because of me. I can't think about having a future with you if it's going to jeopardize everything else in your life. Everything that's wrong is my fault."

Will thought for a moment and looked at her. "Nothing is your fault. My mom is my mom. She'll always be and she's going to love me no matter what I do. And don't worry about Scott. Like I said, he'll come around when it's time. Friendships like that don't just die out. Even if everyone else is unhappy with our relationship, who cares? All that matters is that I love you and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you happy." She looked at him through the darkness of the room. The only light on was a small, dim lamp on the end table and the moonlight shining from the window. She placed her hands on the side of his face and pressed her forehead to his. She gently kissed his lips, her hands lingering down his neck. He rested his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. They sat there for a while, savoring each other's touch. Will pulled Ronnie into his lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck, not daring to break the kiss. He bent down and kissed her neck, going down her collarbone. She leaned her head back at the feel of his lips on her skin. She felt her heart racing in her chest. This wasn't how they usually embraced and unlike the other times they encountered like this, she didn't want to stop. She felt a fire ignite inside of her and she longed for more of Will's touch.

She took off the jacket she was wearing and unbuttoned the top of her shirt, giving him more access to her chest. She leaned back and closed her eyes as his lips roamed over her body, his tongue lightly tracing her skin. She felt Will put his arms around her and lift her up. When she opened her eyes, she was inside the bedroom. Will placed her on the bed, keeping his arms on her sides. She quickly found the hem of his shirt and ran her finger down it until finally unbuttoning it, revealing his sculpted chest. She ran her hands down his muscular arms, pulling off the shirt. She felt a shiver run up her spine as Will did the same to her, leaving her completely bare and vulnerable. But she didn't feel as she expected she would. Actually, she felt even more comfortable than she ever had with him. She moaned as he kissed her stomach, creating a trail to her breasts. He smiled as he placed a deep kiss on her lips. "You are so beautiful." He whispered, causing her heart to practically leap out her chest. She pulled him closer to her. "I love you." she said closing her eyes. The last thing she heard was a muffled 'I love you, too' before she experienced the best night of her life.

Will POV

The sun was shining brightly through the window, causing the room to be unnaturally hot. Will squinted at the bright rays and turned around to look at the time on the clock; it was already noon. He turned back around to find Ronnie snoring right next to him. A thin line of sweat inhabited her forehead and her hair clung to her damp skin. He gently ran his thumb over her face. She sighed and slowly opened her eyes, giving him a soft smile. "Good morning, beautiful." He said kissing her forehead. She ran her hand through her hair and yawned. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Noon."

"What?" she asked with panic rising in her voice. "How long have we been here?"

"I just woke up, what's wrong?" she put her hands on her sides and let out a deep breath. "Will, your mom already hates me. I don't think she'd be happy to know we were out all night, together, without telling her."

"So you're saying I should have called her first?"

"No!" Ronnie laughed. "That'd be a pretty awkward phone call. 'Hey mom, just wanted to tell you I'm about to sleep with that girl you hate'." He joined her laugh and moved closer to her, placing his hand on her hip.

"Then don't worry about it. Aren't you just happy that we're here together? I mean, unless you would rather have been building the bookshelf." She smiled. "Nothing would have happened if you could just follow simple instructions."

He chuckled and pulled her close. "Well, then. Thank God for my lack of building skills."

**A/N: review please**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello readers. I know I've abandoned this story for a while, but I just needed some time to figure out where I want it to go. Now that I have, I am very excited for you guys to see how the plot unfolds. I want this story to progress and for that to happen, not everything can be happy-go-lucky. I'm also trying to make the chapters a bit longer. Hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Thanks **

Ronnie POV

Ronnie walked through the long corridors of the aquarium carrying a stack of papers. Since Will was helping out at the brake shop, she wanted to keep busy, too. She had spent the previous day cleaning some of the tanks and was now on her way to drop off some paperwork at the office. As she walked, she took in some of the changes she saw. The aquarium had expanded quite a bit, if that was even possible. The obvious changes were evident, like the new paint job and flooring. But she also saw quite a few exhibits that hadn't been there the last time she was there. She was looking at a flyer for the opening of a new attraction when she turned a corner an instant too soon. A door swung open and hit her square in the face. She fell flat on the floor and her hand went instinctively to her forehead, which now held excruciating pain.

"Are you okay?" someone asked.

She propped her self up on her elbows and squinted. In front of her stood a guy with black hair and a concerned look on his face. "Hey, can you hear me?" he asked when she didn't answer.

Ronnie groaned and he reached his hand out to help her up. "I'm fine." She said. He picked up the papers off the floor and examined her. "You sure? The door hit you pretty hard. Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't see you."

Ronnie tried to ignore the sense of vertigo she felt and looked up at him. "I'm good. Really, it's no big deal." She grabbed the papers from him and proceeded down the hall. He quietly walked by her side.

"I'm Colton by the way." She nodded. "Ronnie."

"Hello, Ronnie. So do you work here?" he asked, taking half of the papers to lighten her load.

"Just temporarily. I'm just down here for the summer. I live up north in New York."

"Oh. You're Will's Ronnie." He said matter-of-factly. Ronnie's brow furrowed. Colton chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not a stalker. It's just that Mr. Blakelee talks about him a lot and said he was coming home for a while. You're the only unique and beautiful Veronica Miller around here, right?" Ronnie blushed and caught wind of his Australian accent. She cleared her throat and picked up her pace. "Do you work here?" she asked him. He sped up to walk right beside her again. "You can say that. I just come around when I'm needed."He flashed an alluring smile at her and his brown eyes gleamed. She swiftly turned around. She breathed a small sigh of relief when she got to the door of the office. "I got it." She said taking back the rest of the papers. He took the hint and backed away. "Sorry. I get a little friendly sometimes. I guess I'll see you later?" She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, see you later." Ronnie walked into the office and set the papers on the counter. Behind the desk in the center of the room sat Ella. Ella was in her late fifties and had been working at the aquarium for nearly 15 years. She smiled when she saw Ronnie, the wrinkles near her eyes crinkling.

"Hey, Ms. Ella. I got the paperwork you needed."

"Oh, thank you dear. And please call me Ella" she said with her country drawl. "I have so much to get done. You've been a real help." Ronnie smiled and looked around the quiet office. "So who's that guy hanging around outside?"

Ella thought for a moment. "Oh, you mean Colton. He's just a temp. He's only been around for a couple of weeks. He's quite a looker huh?"

Ronnie scoffed. "Come on, Ella. You know I'm with Will."

She playfully swatted Ronnie with a piece of paper. "You know I'm just kidding, dear. So how are things between you and Will?"

"Great. I think we've gotten closer since we've been here. He's really happy here."

Ella put her finger on her glasses which began to slide down her nose. She tucked a strand of gray hair behind her ear. "Any talk of the future?" she asked. Ronnie sighed and took a seat in the chair in front of the desk. "I guess."

Ella dropped the pen she was writing with on her desk and pulled off her glasses. "Well, what does 'I guess' mean?"

"You know, I want to have a future with him, but it seems like now's not the right time." Ella put her hand over Ronnie's and looked into her eyes. "Listen here sweetheart, you love Will, don't you?" Ronnie nodded. "And I know that that boy loves you more than life itself. So whatever doubts you're having ain't worth it. Everything will work out in its own time. God has a way of making thinks right no matter how helpless it seems. Everything will be just fine. Just trust me, ok?"

"Ok." Ella grinned. "Good."

Will POV

"Come on, just try it." Jonah prodded.

Will shook his head. "No, why don't you try it?"

"Because I'm a kid and if something goes wrong, I might get hurt. You're already like 30, you've lived long enough." Will chuckled. "I'm only nineteen."

"Yeah, yeah. Basically the same thing. Just do it. Try to lick your elbow."

"Jonah it's impossible." Will said. He and Jonah were at the pier waiting for Ronnie. She and Galadriel had to run a few errands and they were all meeting up at the beach for a cookout some friends were throwing.

"Please?"

"No."

"Okay then, try licking your back." Will stared at him. "Okay, why don't you try licking some ice cream?" he said handing him a cone. He smiled in satisfaction when Jonah was silent for the next few minutes.

They walked around for a while until Will saw Ronnie and Galadriel making their way up the pier. Ronnie wore a long floral sundress cinched at the waist, which showed off her shapely figure. He could see the thin straps of her bikini underneath. He felt his heart catch in his throat. She was beautiful.

"Hello? Are you just going to stand there and stare at them?" Jonah asked. Will chuckled and pulled him along. "Come on."

When they got to the girls, Will placed a small kiss on Ronnie's cheek. "Where have you guys been? We've been waiting forever." He leaned into Ronnie's ear. "The kid was trying to play fear factor with me."

Jonah blew a raspberry at him. "Wimp."

"So when does this party start? I'm starving." Galadriel said. Will led them down the pier and to the small alcove in the corner of the beach where the cookout was starting up. Will could already smell the hot dogs and burgers being fired up on the grill. He saw his friend Ethan near a picnic table setting up some buns. When he saw Will, he waved and walked over to introduce himself. After the greetings, he made a gesture toward the water. "Hey, there's some parasailing going on over there. You guys can join if you want." Jonah was running towards the water before he even finished speaking. Galadriel followed after him.

"I think I'll take a rain check. I have a bit of a head ache." Ronnie said.

"Yeah, maybe later."

Ethan nodded. "Okay, food will be done in a little bit." Will took Ronnie's hand and they walked over to a shaded area close to the water. They sat down in some beach chairs, close enough so they could see Jonah and Galadriel. Will placed his hand gently on Ronnie's forehead. "Why do you have a headache?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just at the aquarium earlier and I didn't see this guy open up a door. So of course I walked right into it and Mr. Door met my tender forehead."

Will gave a small smile at her logic. "Is it really bad?"

"No, I'm used to guys knocking me down on the ground anyway." She winked at him. He put his head down, remembering how they first met. It seemed like so long ago when it had only been a year. They sat there and talked for a while before heading down to the water. They hopped on a couple of jet skis and surfed around. Will got very competitive when everyone came together for a few matches of beach volleyball. He was happy to see that all that time in New York hadn't caused him to lose his touch. After the activities, everyone headed back to the tables for dinner. Will opted for a few hot dogs while Ronnie had a veggie burger. Jonah and Galadriel had joined them soon afterward, still pumped from their parasailing session. Jonah couldn't stop talking about it, that is, until he was handed a plate of food. Will made a mental note of that for future parenting.

After dinner, everyone headed to a small bonfire at the end of the beach where a circle of chairs were set up. Ronnie rested her head on Will's chest as he rhythmically rocked back and forth. The beach was peaceful and everyone enjoyed each other's company, laughing and telling jokes. Jonah was collecting some seashells near the shore. Ronnie looked up and saw Galadriel sitting on the opposite side of the circle talking to Ethan.

"Hey, look."

Will snapped out of his trance and looked up. "It's Galadriel and Ethan."

"Yeah, what do you think they're talking about?"

"Why, you think they like each other?" he asked.

"I don't know. She just seems like she's been pretty lonely lately. You know, without Marcus. Especially with you kidnapping me all the time."

"I don't kidnap you. It's not kidnapping if I have your consent."

"And how do you know that you have my consent?" Will tilted her head and placed his mouth on hers. He placed his hand on her hip, pulling her closer. His tongue lightly traced her lips, leaving her breathing unsteady. He gently pulled her away and brushed the hair from her face.

When she had somewhat gained her focus, she spoke, "Wait, what were we talking about again?" Will chuckled and kissed her forehead.

That night, Will opted to sleep in his own room. Ever since He and Ronnie had spent the night out of the house, his mother had not been too happy. Even though she didn't ask what happened, he knew it was bothering her. After saying goodnight to Ronnie about a hundred times, he walked over to the main house. He saw his dad in the living room reading the paper in some extremely tight pajamas.

"Dad?"

"Oh, hey son." He said nonchalantly.

"Um, don't people usually read the paper in the morning? And why are your clothes so tight?"

Tom looked down at the shirt that was practically choking him to death. "Oh, this morning my clothes shrunk in the wash… and I was so distraught, I forgot to read the paper." Will laughed. His father was quite a character. "Ok, Dad. I'm going to bed."

"Wait a second. Your mom's got a bit of a cold. You think you can pass by the drugstore and get her some medicine?" _Of course, _he thought_. Leave it to Dad to get a laugh out of me and then ask me for a favor._ "No problem." Will said grabbing his keys.

"That will be $10.65" Said the cashier. Will pulled out a $20.00 and paid the young girl behind the counter. After getting his change, he grabbed the bag and walked out of the store. As he was walking back to his truck, he opened up the bottle of Gatorade he bought and took a swig. He grabbed his keys from his pocket and opened the door. He leaned into his side view mirror when he saw a figure walking near the store. He turned around and saw the familiar blonde hair. He squinted, making sure it was her. "Ashley?" he called out. She didn't seem to hear him and continued walking. He proceeded to get into his car and just drive away, but she looked kind of …..lost. _And what is she doing just roaming around at this time anyway?_ He thought. Will put the bag in the car and walked over to her, calling her name. She finally answered when he was right in front of her. "Oh, Will." She said softly. He looked into her eyes, which seemed to carry a strange reddish hue. It looked as if she hadn't slept for days.

"What are you doing out so late?" he asked her. She nodded incoherently and explained to him. He tried really hard to focus on what she was saying, but she kept slurring her words.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked trying to get a simple answer out of her. She slowly dropped her head before losing her footing and almost falling to the ground. He quickly caught her and brought her up to him. "I'm j-just t-t-tired." She managed to say. "I'm g-going home. I'll be fine, W-Will. Don't worry about me."

"No, I'm not leaving you out here alone. Come on." He hooked his arms under her legs and carried her to the truck, gently laying her across the seat. He got behind the wheel and sighed looking at her. As he drove back home, he felt her lay her head on his shoulder and mumble. "I knew you'd come for me, Will."

**A/N: So what did you guys think? I introduced a couple of new characters this chapter that I think will be very essential to the story. I'm hoping to see Galadriel's life more and want you guys to see some things from her perspective. Also I'm excited to have an old character become a part of the main plot. Please tell me what you think and review. Thanks. **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I feel like I owe you guys a lot on this story, so I've updated rather quickly. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. **

Will POV

Will groaned when his alarm rang and put his hand on his head. He felt a massive headache coming on. He sat up in his bed and yawned. He walked over to the bathroom and reached over to close the door when Ronnie jumped out from behind it. He jumped up, almost tripping over his own feet.

"Good morning." She said in between giggles. Will dramatically put his hand over his heart. "That is not funny. I could have died." Ronnie scoffed. "Jonah's right. You are a wimp."

Will smiled and placed his hands on her waist. "How long have you been up?"

"Just a little while. I wanted to surprise you. You know, since you decided to sleep on planet exile here." She placed her arms around his neck.

"Come on, Ron. You know my mom's been upset lately."

"Yeah, I know. I just missed you. All I actually did last night was sleep." Her voice became seductive as she looked up at him through sultry eyes. She smiled as he placed a small kiss on her neck, lingering over her skin. He moved slowly until he met her lips. She gladly accepted him, her hands gripping the thin cotton of his t-shirt. Will placed his hands on her hips and placed her on the bathroom counter. He gently placed his hands under the bottom of her shirt, caressing her stomach. They were interrupted when a knock came at the door. Ronnie pushed him away and pulled her shirt down. Will walked over to answer the door. His insides jumped a little when he saw it was Ashley.

Her hair hung lazily over her face and if it was even possible, she looked more tired than she did last night. "Hey, um, I'm going to head home. I just wanted to say thanks for last night." Will felt the headache coming back on. He had gone to bed at nearly 2:00 am trying to make sure she was okay. After he had gotten home, he found some of his sister Megan's old clothes she could wear. His Dad had already gone to sleep and his mom was upstairs with a cold. Out of avoidance of a lecture from either of them, he decided it best not to tell them she was there. She had said she was feeling sick and she wasn't kidding, considering he had held her hair every one of the four times she threw up. He had given her some Advil for her migraine and so she could get some sleep. Since Ronnie was asleep in the guesthouse, he thought it'd be best to just put her in one of the spare rooms on the other side of the house.

Ronnie hopped off the counter to see who was at the door. When she saw Ashley, her facial expression morphed from surprise to confusion. "Ashley." She said somberly.

Ashley exhaled and became nervous. "Hey, Ronnie. I forgot you were here. I was just leaving. I just wanted to thank Will."

Ronnie looked up at Will. "Thank you?"

Ashley quickly filled in. "Yeah, I just needed some help last night and Will was there for me. It's no big deal. Well….I guess I should get out of your hair. Bye Ronnie." She looked up at Will, the hue near her eyes seemingly glowing. "I'll see you around, Will."

He watched as she walked out into the hallway, through the foyer, and out the front door. He slowly turned around waiting for the wrath that was coming for him.

"What happened to her last night?" Ronnie asked simply. Will explained where he found her and what condition she was in. He anxiously waited for her response. "Why was she out alone?" she asked.

"I don't know. She just seemed kind of lost. I've never seen her like that before and I didn't want to just leave her there in the street. She could have hurt herself."

"Oh. Well, I guess everyone has their bad days."Will was a little astounded by her reaction. "Wait, so you're not mad?"

"No, should I be?"

"No, I just thought you'd react differently."

Ronnie pulled Will closer to her. "Will, I trust you. I know what kind of person you are. I wouldn't expect you to see someone that needs help and not do anything about it. Even if it is her. At one point, you guys were together. So don't worry about it, ok?"

Will ran his thumb along her cheek. "You are amazing, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know."

Ronnie POV

Ronnie threw a couple of more fish into the tank. She watched as the dolphins eagerly jumped up to catch them. She loved feeding the dolphins. They were one of her favorite exhibits in the aquarium, aside from the sea turtles of course. She groaned when she accidently knocked over the bucket and it rolled to the other side of the room, hitting someone's feet.

"I'm sorry-" she started. She stopped when she saw Colton standing in front of her.

"Hi, Ronnie." She walked over and picked up the bucket. "Hey."

"I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah, I always feed the dolphins."

He gestured toward the bucket. "Mind if I help?" she shook her head and he took a seat on the ground next to her. He threw in a couple of fish. "I love these guys." He said quietly. "They're not like the other marine life here."

"What do you mean?"

"They're obviously intelligent, but I feel like they know there's something better out there for them. Outside of this tank. Their lives seem like they're all about adapting to theirs surroundings and being confined. In fact, they actually evolved from land animals. Their land ancestors lived about 60 million years ago and looked a little like a wolf. It hunted in and created a life in water. Soon its body adapted, its forelegs morphing into flippers and its fur disappearing. It was more about what was available than possibilities."

"I'm sensing some kind of personal relation." Ronnie said looking at him.

He grinned. "So are we going to get Dr. Phil in here?" Ronnie laughed and he joined along.

"I guess you could say that. I've only been in Wrightsville for about six months. My family has always been about plans and I decided not to follow one, so they weren't too happy with me as you would imagine." He chuckled nervously. Ronnie stared at his profile. "So…what made you come down here?"

Colton thought for a moment. "Well, I lived in Australia since I was born basically. We would come up every once in a while to see my aunt. My older brother and three sisters, that is. Anyway, my aunt lived up in Pennsylvania. Right near Harrisburg. We loved going up there. Especially around the holidays. My aunt loved all of us. It was lot better being with her than with my parents of course. I didn't grow up in the most stable household you could say. It wasn't like they were on drugs or anything. They just weren't very open to hearing anybody's opinions but their own. So then there was this one visit a few years ago, I was around 16 years old at the time. I met this girl. We talked for a while and I liked her, of course. To be honest, she was my first crush. So every time I would go up there, I would go see her. We got really close and eventually started dating. No one in my family knew except my aunt. About a year ago, we both graduated and she was heading off to college. By this time, I had fallen in love with her. It was hard enough having a long distance relationship through school, so I knew with the hassles of college, we wouldn't last. I knew she was offered a scholarship at NCSU, so I made the decision to decline the full scholarship I was offered in Australia and follow her. As you would imagine, my parents were not too fond of the idea, especially since it involved a girl they had never even met. So they completely disowned me. I didn't have anyone out here, so for the first month or two of the school year, I stayed with my aunt to earn some money to make a place for myself. We started to drift apart bit by bit. We started arguing and having problems in our relationship. The college life had already started to take hold of her. By the time I had come down here, she had already met someone else. So I did the only thing I could do and moved on. I packed my bags without a plan or a map, got on a train, and got off wherever my heart told me to. And here I am." He looked down into the tank and kept his eyes on the water.

"Have you heard from her since?" Ronnie asked softy.

"No. After she told me off basically, we haven't talked. I remember the day she broke up with me. Well officially, anyway. It was a break up months in the making. I think she just felt I was bringing her down and wanted a fresh start. She just wanted nothing to do with me and I respected that."

"Wow. Sounds tough."

"Yeah. But at least now I know that long distance relationships may not be the best thing for me." He chuckled.

"That was one of the issues I had with Will. But he came after me and it worked out in our favor." She said. Colton looked into her eyes and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "Well….he's very lucky."

Galadriel POV

The sunset cast a shade of purple and pink on the horizon. Galadriel walked along the sidewalk, her bag in hand. She opened the door to the music store, first walking through the records. She browsed through the titles from Bowie to Radiohead. As she was picking up a case, she felt a hand fall on hers. She gasped a little when she saw Marcus in front of her. He gave her a crooked smile. The same smile that used to make her melt. Now it just scared the crap out of her.

"What do you want?" she asked, trying to keep the firmness in her voice, but she felt herself crack at the end.

"I just want to talk." He said, his voice husky.

"So now you want to talk to me?" she countered. She grabbed her bag and walked out of the store. Just as she thought, he followed her out into the dark night. "Come on, Blaze."

"That's not my name."

"Ok, so you want me to call you Galdral or Galdrel or whatever the hell your real name is. Is that what you want?"

She turned around swiftly and looked at him. "It's Galadriel. And I would prefer if you not talk to me." He held her to him and looked at her. She could smell the tight, piercing smell of booze on his mouth. "Come on. You want me to apologize? Is that what you want? Ok, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you betrayed me and I'm sorry that you went and listened to your little punk ass friends instead of me."

Galadriel turned her head to make sure she heard him correctly. "What? Betrayed you?"

"Yes, Blaze! Betrayed me!" by this point his voice had escalated and she could hear his echo. "Ever since you had started hanging with Will and Ronnie and all those people, you left everyone who really cared about you. I'm just here to give you another chance. Even though you left me alone, I still forgive you. You know how screwed up you are? You think any other guy is going to love you like I do? You think any of them are going to give a crap about anything but getting in your pants? No, because you're cheap and worthless, Blaze. And you belong with me."

She stared at him. She assumed he was just drunk and speaking nonsense. _But to be honest_, she thought, _even if he was sober, the idiot would probably say the same thing._

"And now those idiots are back and you're ignoring me-" His voice was cut off as he felt the sharp slap of flesh against his cheek. He turned around in astonishment.

"Don't you ever speak to me like that." She said, her voice thick with tears. "And don't you ever speak of Ronnie and Will like that. You're going to rot in hell." She picked up her stuff and continued home.

Will POV

Will stretched underneath the car as he tried to grab his keys. It was about 10:30 and his dad had him working a late shift at the brake shop. He reached underneath and tried to get the keys he had been attempting to for the last fifteen minutes. After he had most likely dislocated his shoulder, he grabbed the keys and stood up.

"Hi, Will."

He jumped at the sound of Ashley's voice. She stood there at the door waiting for him to respond.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"My mom wanted me to pick up the car." She said gesturing to the car Will was standing next to.

"Oh, this is yours?"

"My mom's. She had to work late tonight and wanted me to get it." He examined her as she walked toward him. She looked better than she did the other night. She looked like she had gotten some sleep at least. She took a seat on the hood of the car and thought for a while.

"What happened to you the other night?" he asked. She just sat there with the same expression on her face. He sat down next to her on the hood. "Come on, tell me."

She sighed. "It was stupid really. I just felt really depressed and I wasn't getting any sleep the past couple of days. I went out with some friends. I guess someone put something in my drink so I could relax. I felt a little off so I started to walk home. And then you found me."

"Why are you depressed?"

"Just personal reasons." He could hear the tears behind her words. She thought for a long time before she spoke. "Everything about my life has always been perfect. When school started up and everyone went their separate ways, I guess I started to feel left behind. Since it's Summer, everyone is coming home and you're here with Ronnie. For the first time, nothing is going my way. My dad left last month. Ever since then, my mom's been on my case about everything. It's been hard. And I just needed a friend. If anyone was going to find me, I'm glad it was you."

Will looked at her. He knew what she was going through. Ashley was the girl who always had everything put together. In place and sorted out. It was eye-opening for him to see her this lost. He put his hand over hers. "Then why don't we actually try being friends? Actually talking to each other on a regular basis. Not only when I have to play super hero and save you from killing yourself?" Ashley gave a nervous chuckle. He smiled. He missed the old Ashley. Even though she could be a real pain at times, there were days that he did enjoy her company. He didn't know about all the troubles in her life and he was sure that there was more than she was leading him to believe. But it was evident that she needed someone to be there for her and he didn't mind doing that.

"I'd like that."

"Good." They stood there awkwardly until she reached up and placed a tender kiss on his cheek. "I've missed you." She whispered against his skin. She grabbed her keys and he watched as she pulled out of the garage.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Let me know what you guys think about the new interactions going on among the characters. New chapters coming soon. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey readers. I'm very happy of the feedback I got from the last two chapters. I appreciate the reviews and love to hear your opinions on what happens to the characters. Enjoy the chapter. **

Will POV

"I'll have the grilled chicken salad with the lemon vinaigrette." Susan spoke to the waiter. He quickly scribbled it on his notepad and looked towards Will. "Oh, I'll have the cheeseburger combo and a small salad." The teenage boy collected their menus and walked quickly back to the kitchen. It was Thursday and they were at one of their favorite local restaurants, Rey-Nowen's.

"Wow. It feels like I haven't been here in forever." Will said, looking up at the familiar walls. He used to go there almost every week with his family when he was growing up. It was an old restaurant that had been around as long as he could remember. He loved the fact that it was modern but had an old-school feel. The whole place was decorated with old records and mementos starting as far back as the 60s.

"I know. I remember bringing you guys here every week." Susan said. "This is where your father started to get that expanding waistline of his." She grinned. "So is Ashley feeling better?" she asked. Will, who was sipping a glass of lemonade, looked up at her, confused. "What?"

"I wasn't born yesterday, son. I know Ashley was over last week. I heard you guys when I went downstairs. And don't think I didn't notice that someone was in the spare room."

"I should've assumed you would find out, detective Blakelee." She smiled. It was true. It seemed that whenever something happened, his mother would find out about it. He wasn't sure about his dad though, considering his head was always in the clouds. "And yes, she is feeling better. She's just been having some personal issues lately and I saw her and thought she needed some help. So I brought her home. But if you heard us, why didn't you say anything?"

Susan reached over and put her hands on his. "I know I've been very protective of you these past few years. But I've been trying to get used to the fact that you're not five years old anymore and you don't need my help with everything. I trusted that you can do the right thing on your own. I knew you could take care of her."

Will sighed. "I appreciate it. I'm happy you're letting me become independent. So how's the party planning coming?" Susan had invited some family and friends over for a barbeque next week. She had spent the past couple of days making calls and planning to make sure everything would be ready.

"Great. Your sister's coming in on Saturday. She and Daniel got back about a week ago." After his sister had gotten married, she and Daniel had moved to New York. He had even stayed with her for a little while. After a month or two, they relocated to Rochester because of Daniel's job. He didn't get to see her that often because he had school and the six hour drive he had to make didn't exactly help the cause. A few weeks ago, they had taken a trip to L.A for a project Megan was working on and weren't able to drive down with Will and Ronnie.

"That's good. Who else is coming?"

"Well, I called a few of your cousins and some friends from work. I called Scott's parents, too."

"Mom, you know he's not coming."

"Will, you have to mend things with him. He's your best friend. Don't forget what he's done for us." Will looked down at the macramé bracelet on his wrist. Of course he didn't forget. He just didn't know what to say to him or how to say it.

"Ok. Well, Ronnie's inviting Galadriel." He informed her. Susan exhaled deeply. "Listen son. I don't think that it would be appropriate to have those two at the party. He looked her dead in the eyes. "What?"

"Don't take it personal. I'm just saying that there shouldn't be any…incidents there. Remember what happened at the wedding?"

"So you're saying Ronnie's not invited?" He asked loudly.

"No, Will. I just don't think that her friend should come. And if she chooses to decline also, then that's fine."

He leaned across the table. "When are you going to understand that I'm with her, mom? I thought that after a while you would just let it go, but this is ridiculous."

Susan spoke louder. "I'm just trying to look out for you Will but if you can't appreciate that, then I guess I shouldn't."

"Look out for me?" By this time, people started to look at them. "How? By keeping me from being happy? What happened to trusting me to do things on my own? What is it, mom? Why do you hate her?" He yelled. Susan yelled back. "She's not right for you! Don't you see that, Will? Ever since she came around, you've been letting everything go down the drain. You gave up Vanderbilt, you gave up your best friend, you let her ruin your sister's wedding day, you turned down a girl that cares about you, and you let me down! It's been the hardest thing for me to watch, Will! I've already lost one son and I'm not going to lose you to her. You're throwing your life away for a girl who's not even right for you."

Will nodded. "Good. At least you're finally honest about it. I know why it's so hard for you. Because it's not a part of your stupid plan. You never got over me leaving Vanderbilt. Or what happened at the wedding. Of course you had no problem with me helping Ashley because you thought she was right for me all along. You only hate Ronnie because you didn't pick her. For once, you aren't in control. I am." He got out of his chair and left the restaurant. Susan sat quietly, a single tear falling from her cheek.

Ronnie POV

Ronnie sat on a bench inside of the aquarium and pulled out her notebook. She hadn't written anything in weeks because she had been so busy. Between working, hanging out with Will and Galadriel, and fixing up her Dad's house, she just didn't have time. She felt her stomach growl. It was almost six o'clock and she hadn't eaten since 11:00 that morning. She leaned back in frustration and starting banging her notebook against her head.

"Whoa, am I interrupting something?" She looked up and saw Colton smiling at her.

"No, you're just witnessing my genius song-writing process in action." He chuckled and sat down next to her. "So what's bothering you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you can't write, maybe something's bothering you. Once you find out what it is, then you can write about it. So what's up?"

"Nothing really."

"Come on. Dig deep. There's obviously something keeping you from writing…..and eating." He gestured towards her loud stomach. She giggled. "No, that's just because I didn't have time to grab lunch." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. He broke it in half and gave her a piece. She bit into it. "Well, I guess I've been feeling a bit iffy about things with Will." She hesitated, wondering if she should even be discussing this with him. It wasn't like he was a complete stranger. In fact, over the past couple of weeks, they had gotten pretty close. But was it appropriate for her to ask him his opinion on her relationship?

"Ok, shoot." He said. She looked at him and opened her mouth to speak, then quickly closed it. "It's ok. The song can wait. No big deal." He nodded, aware that she was trying to change the subject. "Ok."

She put her notebook in her bag and ate the rest of the chocolate bar. It made her even hungrier.

"Hey, you still hungry? I was just heading out. I know this great place not too far down the road. We can leave now if you want." Ronnie looked up at him. She enjoyed spending time with Colton. They were just friends after all. _Is it really a big deal to go get something to eat?_ She thought.

Will POV

"Why are we here?" Jonah asked. Will looked at him. "I told you. I just have to do something for my Dad and then we'll be out of here." They were at one of the head _Blakelee Brakes _offices handling some paperwork.

"But it's boring."

Will reached into his pocket and handed Jonah a lollipop. He scoffed. "I'm not some garbage disposal. You can't just bribe me with food all the time."

Will sighed.

"Yeah, don't think I didn't notice." Jonah said putting the lollipop in his mouth. Will laughed and patted his head.

After the quick meeting, Will and Jonah walked to the park. As Jonah ran around playing Frisbee with a group of kids, Will sat on a bench.

"Hey."Ashley said. She sat down next to him.

"Hey."

"What's up? I haven't heard from you lately." Will shrugged. "Nothing."

"Come on, Will. I know you better than that. What's wrong? Is it your family? Is Ronnie ok?"

"She's fine. My mom, not so much." Ashley's face grew more concerned. "What happened?"

Will scratched his head. "I guess we finally confronted the issue. We finally told each other how we feel."

"And how do you feel?"

"I feel like she's not giving Ronnie a chance. She wants to control everything and she's only acting this way towards her because she's not in control. I just don't think it's fair. She's not even attempting to form a relationship with her. She says it's been hard on her, but it's been hard on me, too. All the things that have happened this past year have been extremely hard. It wasn't easy for me to just leave Vanderbilt and move to a completely different state. Or for me to stop talking to my best friend that saved my life. But in the end, it's all worth it if I'm with her. I love her and I'd give anything to just be with her. I just wish my mom would understand that."

Ashley turned around to face him. "I get that, Will. You obviously care for Ronnie and it's hard for someone as close to you as your mother to stand in the way of that. But don't forget how she feels in the process. You know it's been hard for her ever since Mikey left. We all know it's been hard for her." Will thought about it. She was right. Ever since his brother's passing, his mom hadn't exactly been reasonable and rational in her decisions. For a long time, he simply went along with what she wanted him to do because he didn't want her to feel alone after Mikey died. He knew it made her happy to see things go her way. Everything had been set in stone simply because she wanted him to be safe.

"It's still wrong for her act that way," Ashley continued. "But she's only looking out for you. Just talk to her about it and let her know that you value her opinion but you still love Ronnie. And if she still chooses to lose a relationship with her son, then at least you now that you tried." Will looked into her eyes. He thought back to what his mother said. He liked the whole friend thing they had going on, but he knew that she cared about him. A lot. And even though he loved Ronnie immensely, he always felt a little guilty because he knew how much he had hurt her. He knew how hard it was for her to accept that he moved on and the fact that she was sitting in front of him, giving him advice like a true friend, was very admirable.

"Thank you. That really helped."

"I can be deep." She said. He smiled. "So you haven't been partying, have you?" he asked.

"No, Father." She said sarcastically. "But I will see you next week."

"You're coming to the barbeque?"

"Yeah, your mom invited me. Why?" Will shook his head. "No reason." He should have expected that. But surprisingly, he didn't have a problem with it.

"So you want to play Frisbee?" she asked, gesturing at the kids.

"No, I'm good."

"Please?" she asked in her sweetest voice. Her blonde hair radiated in the sunlight.

"No, thanks." He said.

She scoffed. "Ok, fine. But you're going to regret it." She got up and ran towards the kids. Will took out his phone to check his email. He almost dropped it when he felt the Frisbee hit him in the head. He looked up and saw all the kids laughing, including Jonah. Ashley laughed with them. "I told you." She yelled.

Ronnie POV

"Am I really that bad?" Colton asked.

"No, you're just not that good." Ronnie said. They both laughed. When they were walking out of the restaurant, they heard the song _my girl_ by The Temptations playing from a car radio and Colton opted to sing along. He didn't exactly have the best voice, considering a couple of people stopped what they were doing to stare at him. But he was a good sport about it and laughed with Ronnie.

"Ok, what if I took voice lessons?" he asked. She thought for a moment. "You might go up from horrible to just bad."

"Ouch, that's not fair."

"Do you want me to lie to you or be honest?" she asked through giggles.

"Lie if the truth is going to hurt my feelings!" He grinned. "I was just trying to be chivalrous and sing to you, but I guess it backfired."

"Big time." She smiled. They stopped when they got to the front of the gate. She looked through to the driveway and didn't see Will's truck. She remembered that he had said that he had some errands to run and was taking Jonah along.

"Well, this is my stop. Thank you for walking with me…and embarrassing us in public." She gave a small smile.

"No problem. I'll embarrass myself anytime you need me to." Before she could turn around, he grabbed her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers before placing a kiss on her forehead. "Good night." He said before walking away from her.

Susan POV

Susan watched from the window as he walked across the street, leaving Ronnie alone in front of the gate. She recognized him from the aquarium. _What was his name?_ she thought. _Cole or Colin or something like that._ Ronnie stood there for a minute looking at him before walking inside. She felt her heart ache. She knew she was right. It hurt her to see Will make a decision that would ultimately leave him heartbroken. When she tried to advise him earlier that day, he just blew up on her. But if she let him find out on his own, he would be devastated and that would crush her. She sighed and went back to reading trying to ignore the fact that she was losing control of her own household.

**A/N: Thank you for reading. I've been waiting a while to write this chapter and I'm happy with how it turned out. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated so let me know how you feel. I know a lot of you may not be happy with how things are going, but I think you'll be quite surprised with how things turn out. Update coming soon. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello, everyone. Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter. I love to hear your predictions on what will happen. Summer's here and I have more free time so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently. Thank you and enjoy. **

Will POV

"Megan." Will called out to his sister. She looked up from the car and smiled as he walked towards her.

"Will." She said, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, it feels so good to be home. I felt like I'd never see this place again."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. No help needed here." Daniel said from behind the car. He was carrying seven bags and looked as if his legs would collapse.

"Oh, hush. You're so lazy." Megan said walking up the steps into the house. Daniel scoffed and Will laughed. "Hey, Daniel."

"How's it going, Will. I'd hug you but my limbs are about to burst." Will grabbed some of the bags and walked Daniel into the house.

"Where's Mom and Dad?"Megan asked.

"Probably organizing a parade for your arrival." Will said nonchalantly.

"There she is." Susan sang as she walked into the living room, as if on cue. She pulled Megan into her arms.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi, honey. I've missed you so much. How is everything?"

"Great." She said looking at Tom. "Hi, Dad."

"Hello, sweetheart." He hugged her. After all the greetings, Will carried the bags into Megan's old room while she followed behind.

She looked around as Will set everything down. "Wow."

"I know. The room seems different without an annoying sister occupying it."

Megan stuck her tongue out at him. "It just feels weird being here. But right at the same time."

"I know what you mean." He said, taking a seat on her bed. She stopped looking around and sat down next to him. "So where's Ronnie?"

"She's helping out with one of the exhibits at the aquarium. She'll be here in a little while."

She nodded. "So is everything ok?"

"Yeah."

"Really, because I got a certain phone call the other day and a certain someone wasn't very happy with you." Megan said, pointing down the hall.

"Mom told you?"

"Yup. So what's this I hear about you blowing up on her?"

Will stood up. "I didn't blow up on her. I just told her how I feel. But I've gotten some advice and I've decided that I'm just going to talk to her about it and hope she understands. And if she doesn't, then it's not my fault."

"Wow, so you figured it all out. Seems like you didn't need me after all. I'm proud of you."

"You know, I'm a lot smarter than you think I am."

"I think you're smart. It's just my job as your older sister to convince you that you're not."

Will shook his head as they walked out of the room.

Ronnie POV

Ronnie stapled the last flyer on a column. She had spent the past two hours helping with preparations for a new children's exhibit the aquarium was opening. She yawned and looked at her watch. It was already 7:30. The past few days had been hectic. She barely slept the night before, trying to finish the flyers. She was happy, though. She was keeping busy. All the work somewhat distracted her from the overwhelming guilt she felt from the other night. She had been avoiding Colton the entire day, making sure not to bump into him and any time she saw him coming, she went in the opposite direction. It wasn't like she did anything wrong. She didn't cheat on Will. But for some reason, there was some underlying guilt that she couldn't get rid of. She knew Colton liked her. It was pretty obvious. And it was even more obvious that he wanted her to know that. She assumed that from the moment she met him. But what she didn't understand was how persistent he was. He of course knew that she was with Will. He had told her himself. _So why is he still trying?_ She thought. It wasn't that Colton was a bad guy. She had gotten to know him pretty well and knew his morals. She knew enough to know that he wouldn't go after someone else's girlfriend. Whenever she would bring up Will in conversation, he didn't bash him or try to change the subject, he actually listened to her.

She didn't want to keep worrying about it, but the whole situation just baffled her. It was starting to affect her relationship, too. She had felt a little…...awkward around Will and was starting to avoid him, too. And she knew that he noticed. She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts. She had other things to think about. Like the fact that she was going to be late for dinner. Susan had made it very clear how important Megan and Daniel's arrival was and did not want anything to go wrong. The last thing she wanted to do was get on Susan's bad side, or really bad side, for that matter. Ronnie groaned and picked up her stuff.

* * *

The house seemed bustling with activity when Ronnie arrived. She put her stuff on the table in the foyer and walked into the lively dining room.

"Hey, look. Ronnie's here." Tom said. Megan got up and walked around the table to pull Ronnie into a hug.

"Ronnie. It's so good to see you."

"You, too." Ronnie replied. "Hi, Daniel"

"Hey, Ronnie." He said hugging her.

"Sorry I'm late," Ronnie said, grabbing a seat next to Will. "I got held up at the aquarium."

"No problem." Tom said. Ronnie took a sip of her water. She wasn't unaware of the fact that Susan was staring at her.

"Held up doing what?" she asked coldly. Ronnie cleared her throat. "Helping with the new exhibit. It's been a lot of work."

Susan nodded. "Interesting."

Ronnie couldn't help but look at her. It was a typical Susan move, to try to intimidate her. But something was different this time. The way she said it, with a wicked smile behind her words. There was a hidden meaning that she couldn't quite decipher. But for some reason, it sort of scared her. A lot.

"Anyway," Megan said, trying to break the obvious tension. "I've been thinking about doing some sort of benefit for our charity."

"Oh right. So what exactly were you guys working on in L.A?" Will asked.

"Well, you know I've been wanting to start a charity. So I thought that maybe I should do something that involves child like interests. Like giving underprivileged children with interests in the performing arts or science the opportunity to participate in programs just for them, with real professionals in the business. So since Daniel was going to L.A for some business meetings, I thought that I should start looking for sponsors."

"That's a great idea." Susan said. "You should get the aquarium involved, too. I'm sure Ronnie could help you with that." She gave Ronnie the same scrutinizing look. She slumped down in her chair, feeling smaller than ever.

Will POV

"What do you think of ice sticks?" Will asked. Ronnie looked up from the book she was reading. "What?"

"You know how ice cubes are shaped like cubes? Well, what if they were shaped like sticks instead? How would that…work?"

Ronnie put her book down and patted his head. "I think you've been hanging out with Jonah too much."

"Yeah, you're right….. when instead, I should be hanging out with you." He grabbed her waist and pulled her to him, despite her protests.

"Come on, Will. Let me go." She whined.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She got off the bed and walked over to the bathroom. As she stood over the sink, she heard him get up and come up behind her. "Something's wrong. You've been avoiding me lately."

"No I haven't." she said looking down. He placed his hands on her hips and turned her around to face him. "Yes, you have." He said seriously. "What is it, Ron? You're worrying me."

"Really, it's nothing. I'm just tired, that's all." She broke from his grasp and walked out of the bathroom. Will stood there and stared at her. She knew how much she was hurting him. It killed him to see her like that and not be able to do anything about it. But what was she going to say? She didn't want to talk to him about Colton because there shouldn't be anything to talk about. She didn't do anything wrong, she just felt like she did.

"Okay, then. I'm going to head to bed." He said. He walked over and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Good night." He said before walking out of the room. She closed her eyes and tried to push out the memories of Colton out of her head.

Will POV

Will walked out into the glistening sun to find his mom lounging on a chair near the pool. "Hey, mom."

"Hi, Will." She said before going back to her book.

"You have a minute?" he asked. She put down her book and gestured for him to sit down.

"What is it?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about the other day. I know that things got out of hand but I want you to understand my position here." She listened to him intently and he continued.

"I know that you only want the best for me and I understand that. Everything you do is because you care about me and my well-being. But I love Ronnie and I think you need to come to terms with that. I know I've done some things that you're not proud of, but you should trust me to make my own mistakes. I can't ever get back up if you won't let me fall a few times."

Susan was quiet for a long time before she spoke. "I know, Will. And I do trust you. It's just my motherly instinct to not want to see you get hurt. Of course I know you love Ronnie. You wouldn't do half the things you've done if you didn't love her. It may take a while for me to be completely okay with the decisions you make, but I'm willing to try."

"Really?" he asked, uncertain.

Susan chuckled. "Yes, I'm not as cold-blooded as some of you think I am. And I'm sorry about the whole barbeque thing. Of course Ronnie and Galadriel can come. "

Susan POV

Susan watched as Will made his way back into the house. She was happy that things were better between them. She promised herself that she would keep her word on letting him make his own mistakes, even if that meant that he would get hurt in the process. And from what she'd been observing, that would most likely mean Ronnie would be out of the picture. It was only just a matter of time.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I had a bit of a hard time writing this chapter, so I hope it turned out okay. Anyway, I am very happy that Megan is back in the story. Let me know what you guys think of Colton's intentions and why do you think Ronnie is so guilty? As always, reviews are greatly appreciated so hit that button. Thanks **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey, readers. Enjoy the fast update. **

Will POV

Will stood in his closet, sorting through all the things he didn't need. He had spent the entire morning cleaning and organizing his room. Daniel had gone off to play golf with a few friends while Susan, Megan, and Ronnie had gone to the mall. It was initially just a mother-daughter trip, but after a lot of begging and many "pleases", he finally convinced Ronnie to go. He wanted her to take every opportunity she could to get closer to Susan. Especially after how distant she had been for the past few days. He was still hurt by how she refused to tell him what was wrong the other night. They never kept anything from each other. It didn't seem like something was just bothering her, it seemed like she was…..changing. It was like she wasn't really responding to him. Even when she did, it wasn't the genuine response he knew. She had been spending a lot of time away from him and lately, was spending a lot of time at the aquarium. At first he didn't intrude or question her because he thought that maybe she just needed some time alone to sort out things for herself. But now it seemed that her growing distance was just making _them_ more distant.

He sighed and dug into the box. The first thing he pulled out was an old, wooden toy car. He laughed, remembering how long it had taken him to make it. It all started when he saw one on television and begged his dad to let him make one. So Tom had gotten some wood and tools so that they could make the car together. Due to his dad's….not so great planning, the measurements were off and they had to keep cutting and cutting until there were only a few small slabs of wood left. The car ended up being small enough to fit in the palm of Will's hand and ever since then, he prompted to never ask for his father's help on building things. He carefully placed the car on his nightstand and went back to the box.

He pulled out an old t-shirt from a family trip to Hawaii, some old baseball cards, and a deflated volleyball from one of his first games. As he got deeper, he found some old photographs. He picked one up that had the corners all bent. After he straightened it, Mikey's smiling face beamed at him. He was standing in their backyard in front of the pool. He had on his floaties and his blonde hair clung to his damp skin. In the background, he saw Megan who was around 18 years old at the time. She looked like she was in the middle of a laugh as she waved to the camera. He could see his mother sitting on a chair behind Mikey as she looked happily through the camera lenses. She was actually smiling, not the artificial, practiced, and strained smile he'd seen so many times over the past couple of years. But a real, genuine, "life is great" smile. He missed that. His brother's face seemed to radiate light and was permanently etched in his mind, even after he put the picture on his nightstand. As he went through the rest of the box, he found tons of photographs, including his many birthday parties, all of the ceremonies from the tons of awards Megan had won throughout school, and many of Mikey at the park or playing around with the family. He saw pictures of his Volleyball games, with Scott in every single one standing right next to him on the sand.

He picked up the last few pictures and sorted through them. In the last one, he saw Ronnie's face looking up at him. She was in a boat and he recalled it was one of the times they had gone fishing. He needed better light so he stood up to take the picture. He laughed, seeing Ronnie's facial expression, a cross between a smile and panic, aware that the small boat could tip at any minute. He remembered how much of an earful he had gotten for putting them in "tremendous danger", as she had said. That was the day that he thought about being with her. The day that he thought about marrying her and starting a family. His feelings about those things only grew stronger with time and he found himself thinking about it more each day. He knew she would be a wonderful mother. She had an authentic caring stance about her that couldn't simply be learned or taught. She had been through so much and seen a lot of things. She was insightful and wise in a way that somehow made her relatable to a wide range of people. The thought of a beautiful woman like her carrying his child was unbelievable.

He looked at the picture one last time before setting it in the corner of his picture frame.

"Knock, Knock." Ashley said as she walked inside his room.

"Hey."

"Hey, what's going on? I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by. Where is everyone?" she asked..

"All the girls went to the mall. Who let you in?"

"Oh, your dad. He went out for a jog." Will nodded and went back to cleaning.

"So where's Jonah?"

"He went to the beach with Galadriel. He really likes the beach, so they should be back in about….two days." Ashley giggled and nudged his arm. "You used to like the beach too, remember? Before you went all New-York on us."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup. You know I haven't gotten to see you play once since you've been back?" she walked towards him. "I'm actually kind of disappointed. For all we know, you could have forgotten how to serve the ball by now."

"Then I guess I'll just have to prove it to you on Saturday." He said with challenge in his voice.

"Okay, then fine." she smiled at him and looked inside the box that was still on his bed. "What's this?"

"Nothing really. Just some old things I found in my closet."

She reached in and pulled out a picture of a much smaller, 13 year old Will. "Oh, look. I remember this." She laughed. Will grabbed the picture and saw his horrified face as Megan held a jar in front of him. He remembered that day well. When he was growing up, he hit a phase where he was extremely terrified of bees. He didn't know why but the constant buzzing and the big eyes just creeped him out. Of course when Megan found out, she took every opportunity she could to scare him. In this photo, she got him really good; holding the jar that had about 5 or 6 bees in it really close to him, as he covered his ears and ran away while she chased him. He had no problem with bees now, but the thoughts still lingered in his mind.

"It's not funny." He said, trying not to smile at the memory. Ashley continued giggling. "Come on. It was hilarious. I had never seen you run that fast before. If the Volleyball thing didn't work out, you could've killed it on the track field." She said putting the picture behind her back.

"Oh, so you have jokes?" he said laughing with her. He reached behind her to grab it, but she stepped back.

"No, I think I'm going to keep it. In case I need it in the future." She said with a scheming smile.

Will stepped closer to her. "What, so you can blackmail me?"

She laughed. "No, I don't need this to blackmail you. I have plenty of other things that I can do that with."

"Oh, really?"

"Really." She said with satisfaction. At that moment, he pulled her to him and held her as he reached for the picture. They both stood there laughing until she surrendered.

"Okay, okay." She said breathlessly.

"Can I have my picture back?" He said.

"Sure. Let me go."

"Give me my picture first."

"No."

"Fine then, we can stay here all day."

She laughed and they smiled at each other. Her laugh comforted him. It was animated and child-like. He had been feeling a little stressed lately and this was what he needed. With the distance between him and Ronnie, this was what he was longing for; to talk and laugh with a friend. A month ago, it would have seemed strange, but he was happy that friend was Ashley.

She looked up at him and her smile started to fade as one of her hands rested on his chest, the other behind her back. Her eyes carried deeper emotion and she ran her hand slowly across his cheek. Will stood there enthralled before he realized that he was still holding her. His hands rested on the small of her back and her body stayed pressed against his.

Will quickly pushed her away and cleared his throat. "Um, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, it was my fault." She said straightening her dress and putting the picture back in the box.

"Will, are you up?" Ronnie said. She walked inside and couldn't hide the surprise on her face.

"Oh. Hi, Ashley. I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah. I was just leaving." She said, nodding towards Will. "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Um, yeah. Sure." She walked quietly out of the room. Ronnie watched as she made her way out and turned back to Will. He looked at her expectantly. "So how was it?" he asked shakily.

"It actually wasn't that bad. Your mom was actually…..kind of….nice to me."

Will walked to her and held her to him. "Maybe she's had a change of heart." He said.

"Or maybe you talked to her." Ronnie countered.

"And what if I did?"

"I told you. I don't want you forcing her to like me."

"I didn't. I just told her to give you a chance. Is that so bad?" he asked. His hands softly rubbed her sides.

"No, I guess not. Well…..thank you. I appreciate it." She said uncertainly

"Ugh. Is it that hard to accept that I did something smart and insightful?" Ronnie laughed, causing him to smile.

"No. I think you're smart. It's just my job as your girlfriend to convince you that you're not."

"Mmm. And you've only spent one day with my sister?" he asked while placing his lips on hers.

Ronnie POV

"Okay, so the blue folders go in the red bin and the red folders go in the black bin. Make sure these papers get stapled and don't forget to cross out the errors on this draft for the final sheet." Ella spoke.

Ronnie stared at her. "What?" Ella laughed and her glasses slid off her nose. "Just do your job." Ronnie grinned, grabbed the heavy box, and made her way down the hall to the filing room. As she walked, she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She set the box down and pulled out her phone. She quickly read the text Megan had sent her reminding her that she would pick her up in half an hour. Since Megan had been around, Ronnie had been spending a lot of time with her. Not that Megan had given her much of a choice. They had gone to the mall, the beach, tried dozens of restaurants, and just drove around town, trying to find something to do. She didn't mind though. She liked Megan. She was like the sister she never had. She had that confident, yet modest persona that made her likeable to nearly everyone. She was intelligent, caring, gorgeous, and knew a lot of things before they even happened. It was like she had a gear in her head that allowed her to make completely accurate assumptions based on little bits of information.

Megan had a quality that allowed everyone to put aside their differences and enjoy themselves. Ronnie still found it unbelievable that she had spent an entire day without annoying Susan or vice-versa. She felt like Susan actually wanted her to be there. They talked and they even laughed together a few times. And though they were not at that close, mother-daughter type bond, it was a start and that was enough for her.

She had also spent some time with Will. Being with Megan and Susan for the day made her realize that it wasn't fair to keep him out of the loop. Since he took the time and initiative to talk to his mom about their relationship, the least she could do was put an effort into it. Seeing Ashley made her a little uneasy at first, but she trusted Will and she told him that before. If she said she was jealous, he would just reassure her that she had no reason to be. Besides, she had been feeling better about the whole situation. She was able to avoid Colton for the past few days and didn't really think about him, either. She figured that if things stayed like that, everything would be fine.

Ronnie pushed open the door with her back and set the box down.

"Hey."

Ronnie jumped at the sound of Colton's voice. She turned around and found him leaning against a table in the corner.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, looking down.

"I was just putting some stuff away and thought I'd take a break. But the bigger question is, what are you doing here? I though you would have moved to a different state by now."

"What are you talking about?" she said while opening a filing cabinet.

"Come on, Ronnie. You've been avoiding me. And quite well I might add."

"Thank you…..I think." He gave a soft chuckle. "But why?"

"Why what?" she said stapling some papers. He sighed and grabbed the papers from her, causing her to look up at him. "Why are you ignoring me? Why are you taking every opportunity to not talk to me or even look at me?" his voice became soft and she could tell that he was genuinely hurt.

She felt bad. He wasn't a bad guy. In fact, she was now probably one of the closest friends he had. He had told her things about his life that even his family didn't know. He didn't deserve to be completely ignored. But she didn't deserve for her relationship to be ruined by him either.

"I'm sorry." She spoke softly. "I've been ignoring you and that isn't fair. But I can't act like everything's just fine either."

He moved closer to her. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my relationship. I love being your friend, don't get me wrong. But I think you want it to go further than that and I can't afford a rift in my relationship because of this."

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off like that. I know that sometimes I come on a little strong, especially about how I feel about someone. It wasn't my intention to steal you away from Will. If he's worthy of someone like you, then I commend him. I've just had a hard time getting to know people around here and you're one of the few that get me. I just enjoy spending time with you, that's all. I was hoping we could get back to that."

Ronnie tucked her hair behind her ear. She knew what he meant. She enjoyed spending time with him too. She figured that as long as she could be his friend, but keep her distance, everything would be fine. A compromise would be a lot better than simply avoiding him. It made more sense to just confront the issue and then work from there.

"Okay, I don't see why not." She said with a smile. He smiled back and helped her finish the rest of the filing. After they were done, Colton walked her to the front of the aquarium where Megan was waiting for her.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"Yeah." He looked down at her. "I really appreciate what you did today. It means a lot."

"It's okay. I think it'd be a shame to lose you. I'd miss your singing too much."

He nodded in satisfaction. "Ah-hah. So it was chivalrous." She shook her head and laughed. "Good night, Colton."

He watched as she walked down the sidewalk and got in the car. "Good night."

* * *

"Okay, I don't think I can eat anymore." Ronnie said, holding her stomach.

"Oh, come on. Are you going to chicken out that fast?" Megan said. It was almost 1 o'clock in the morning and they both sat at the kitchen island in their pajamas with two tubs of ice cream. They spent the last 40 minutes trying to finish them.

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Ronnie asked.

"Because it's something sisters would do and since I am now declaring you my honorary sister, this is what we do."

Ronnie laughed. "You are so weird."

"Hey, it's better than me admitting that ice cream is just my guilty pleasure and I don't feel as bad eating it when someone else does." Megan smiled and eyed a jar of bacon bits on the counter. She picked it up and sprinkled some on her spoon before putting it in her mouth. Ronnie stared at her.

"Mmmm. Not bad. It really enhances the flavor." They both laughed. "What planet are you from again?" Ronnie asked.

"At first it was Mercury, but now my dad says Neptune." She said with a smile. "So anyway, who was that guy I saw you with today?"

Ronnie froze for a second before regaining her composure. "What guy?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about. Spill it."

"It's nothing. His name is Colton. He's just a guy that works at the aquarium."

"Just a guy that has major feelings for you."

"Hmmm?" Ronnie placed her spoon in her mouth.

Megan added some more bacon and a dash of barbeque sauce on her ice cream. "Come on. I saw the way he was looking at you. It wasn't just a small look. He really likes you."

Ronnie sighed. "I know that. It's just that he moved here a little while ago and doesn't have any family around, so he's really opened up to me. But I talked to him about it and everything's going to be fine. He knows that I'm with Will. He understands that we're just friends and nothing more, so everything is ok."

Megan eyed her. Ronnie tensed up, feeling completely exposed. With Megan, it was like her emotions were written in bold letters across her face.

"Okay, but be careful." She warned. "The last thing you want is to get too close to someone else. Once you do that, you'll lose Will." Ronnie nodded. Megan's facial expression changed and she held her stomach.

"You ok?" Ronnie asked.

"Yeah, just a little nauseous for a second."

"Maybe it's all the bacon." Ronnie said putting the jar back in its place.

"Yeah, maybe you're right…...can you pass me the ham?"

**A/N: Thank you for reading. This chapter is one of the longest ones I've written and it took me quite a while. Some relationships will be changing in some big ways and a lot of surprises are coming, so keep checking for updates. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks. **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hi, everyone. Sorry it's taken me a while to update. Enjoy the chapter.**

Ronnie POV

Ronnie yawned as she ran her fingers through her hair. It was Saturday and she could hear all of the activity and preparation going on for the barbeque. She rolled over to grab her cell phone off the nightstand but instead jumped when she saw Will staring at her.

"Good morning." He said with a wicked smile.

She rubbed her eyes. "You know, this whole watching me sleep thing is really unattractive."

"I wasn't watching you sleep. I was just looking at you while your body took a rest."

Ronnie smiled. "The whole changing words around to mean the same thing is getting old, too."

He frowned. "Oh, man. That was the only gimmick I had left."

She laughed and kissed him. Will smiled against her lips and brushed the hair from her face. "So what do you want to do today?"

"Don't we have to help your mom out?"

"Not now, the barbeque doesn't start for a couple of hours. Besides, there's something I wanted to show you."

* * *

Ronnie held Will's hand as they walked through the moist sand. After they left his house, Will had guided her to her father's bungalow and they walked on the small pathway behind it that led to the beach.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Just wait, we're almost there." He said. They walked a few more steps before he abruptly stopped. He smiled and pointed to the dune on the ground. Ronnie walked toward it and smiled in awe as she saw the familiar, smooth eggs. She could only see a few and they looked to be slightly below the surface.

"When did you find them?" she asked, bending down to get a better look.

"I was just taking a walk this morning and saw the nest. I would've stepped on it if I wasn't careful."

"Then you would have killed the innocent lives of unborn baby loggerheads."

"I said I was careful. Gee, do you always have to make me feel bad?" he whined.

Ronnie stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's my way of keeping you in check." She kissed his cheek and he smirked. "Now come on, let's go call the aquarium so they could put a cage up."

Will POV

The Blakelee home was filled with laughter and conversation as more guests walked in. The afternoon had just begun and Ronnie watched as a slew of people quickly filled the backyard. Tom stood at the grill, decked out in his own personal _kiss the cook_ apron. Susan played hostess and walked around in rotation every few minutes, trying to mingle with everyone. Ronnie sat at a table waiting for Will, who had gone to get more ice for the coolers. She was still a bit worried about Galadriel. Even though she had invited her, she declined and said she wasn't feeling up to it. It wasn't like her to just stay at home, but she decided she might have just wanted some space. She sipped on her glass of lemonade and watched as some kids threw a football around on the other side of the yard.

"Hello." she heard from behind her. She turned around and had to look down to see the little girl.

"Hello, sweetie. What's your name?"

"Isabella. Are you Will's girlfriend?" she asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business." Will said walking up behind her.

"I was just being friendly." She said innocently. Will smiled and picked her up. "Isabella, this is Ronnie. Ronnie, this is my devious cousin, Isabella." She wailed and he let her down.

"I am not devious." She said shaking her head of blonde curls. "I just wanted to know why a pretty girl like her would date a lint licker like you." She blew a raspberry at him and walked over to Ronnie, leaning into her ear. "Honey, you could do so much better." She said before walking away. Ronnie giggled while Will took a seat next to her.

"She's adorable." She said.

"Yeah, real adorable. She's only four years old and the epitome of evil. She's my Aunt Stephanie's daughter."

"Where is your aunt?"

"She'll be here soon. She just had some errands to run. But in the meantime, why don't I introduce you to everyone else?" he said taking her hand.

For the next hour, they walked around the house as Will introduced her to everybody, including his aunt and uncle, his seven cousins, various friends from high school, and a few family friends who lived in the neighborhood. After many handshakes and small talk, Ronnie decided to help Megan in the kitchen, while Will went to the garage to find another cooler.

"Am I too late for the party?" Ashley said walking through the open garage door. She wore a short, vibrant yellow and white strapless sundress that belted at the waist and he could tell that she had been at the beach from her tan. He couldn't help but stare a little before answering her.

"Nope, I was wondering what happened to you."

"Yeah, my mom was having some…..issues."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Um, no. Not now. It's not that important anyway. So….where is everyone?"

"Out in the back. I just came to get a cooler. You can help me carry it back."

"Wow, so I give you the 'family issues' sob story and I still have to do manual labor?" she smirked.

He smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you lift a finger, your highness." She laughed. "Thank you. You're finally starting to get it."

* * *

The afternoon rolled on as the barbeque soared. Everyone joined in a game of flag football before heading into the pool for some Marco Polo and volleyball. Will proved his skills both in and out of the water as Ashley rolled her eyes on the sidelines. After all the games, everyone joined each other at the picnic tables for lunch. Megan played photographer and walked around with her camera taking off guard pictures of everyone. _Most likely to use as blackmail_, he thought. He stood up and walked to the garbage can when he saw someone walking in from the side gate. He froze when he saw Scott.

Scott shared the same reaction and looked at a loss for words as they stood there motionless. It had been months since they'd seen each other. Whenever Will was in a situation like this, a simple "hey, how's it going?" or "Wow, it's been a while" always seemed to work, but this time, it just didn't fit. He decided that saying something would be better than nothing, so he just said what came to mind.

"Scott. Hey, I didn't know you were coming."

"Come on, Will. I'm pretty sure your mom told you."

"Yeah, she did. I just needed a way to start off this awkward conversation." Scott laughed; a sound Will felt like he hadn't heard in years.

"So when did you get back?" he asked.

"A few weeks ago. What about you?"

"The same." Will nodded and the silence started again.

"What are we doing?" he finally asked. Scott tried to put on a face of confusion, but he knew exactly what Will was talking about. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I guess-"Will began but Scott cut him off.

"Do you mind if we have this heart to heart while I get some food? I'm starving, I haven't eaten all day." Will chuckled and they walked into the backyard. "Yeah, sure."

Ronnie POV

The last of the guests had gone home and the house again had its peaceful stance. Ronnie walked down the hall and into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water before taking a swig. When she closed the door, Megan was standing behind it.

"What is up with you people sneaking up on me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, I sneak up on everyone." She winked and sat on the island. "So did you enjoy yourself today?"

"Yes, I did. Very much. Your family is great."

"Thank you, I like to think so, too." Megan grimaced as she held her stomach momentarily.

"You ok?" Ronnie asked. "You've been pretty sick lately."

"Yeah, I'm ok. I think I'm coming down with something. I'll be fine though. I am a warrior." She said before letting out a huge yawn. Ronnie scoffed. "Okay warrior, maybe you should get some rest before you pass out." Megan hopped off the island and they interlocked their arms before walking down the hall.

* * *

"Do we really have to do this?" Will asked as he laid the sheet onto the beach chairs.

"Yes, who else is going to protect the nest?" The aquarium had informed them that the nest wouldn't be up till the next day and Ronnie refused to leave them unprotected.

"But they did just fine the last time."

"That's because I was here. You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I can watch them by myself." She laid another sheet on top of the first one and dropped a few pillows.

"I'm not leaving you here alone all night."

"Great." She smiled brightly. Will sighed and got down on the chair, which when reclined and covered was actually pretty comfortable.

After she covered the nest with all the little knick-knacks and protective things she could find, she walked over and settled down in the chair next to Will. After a few minutes, he leaned over and pulled her chair to his until they were right next to each other. She looked up at him and touched his face.

"I thought we were here to protect the nest."

"I know. I just want to make sure you're warm. It's a little chilly out here and you were swimming earlier. Wouldn't want you to get hypothermia." He said holding her closer

"That was three hours ago."

"Just being cautious. You know I'm all about the safety." She laughed softly against his chest. She had to admit, he was pretty warm.

"So what happened between you and Scott?"

"We just talked for a while. I guess he just felt a little neglected. We were friends for a long time before you came along and it seemed like everything was changing so fast."

"That's because it was."

"Yeah, I know. But it changed for the better. Anyway, he had to leave early and said we'd talk soon. We didn't discuss much but I'm happy he came." Ronnie gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand.

"Remember the last time we were here?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I do. Back when you hated me." Of course he remembered. It was one of the best nights he had had in a long time. He had enjoyed their banter. It was first time he had ever really talked to her and he had learned a lot. Like how she lived in New York with her mom and Jonah and came down for the summer to see her dad. The fact that she was a bookworm and her love of the classics. But it wasn't just the talking he enjoyed. He loved those moments when they would just sit there and listen to the silence. It was something familiar, like he had been reunited with someone he knew his whole life and they didn't need to say anything to fill the empty spaces.

"I didn't hate you." She said. "Well, not all that much."

"Uh, this is the part where you say,' just kidding.'"

Ronnie lifted her head and gave a mock smile. "Just kidding."

"Yeah that was really sincere." He grinned. They were quiet as the tide came in and out.

"I thought about you a lot afterwards, you know." She stated.

"Did you?"

"Don't act so surprised. But I was mostly wondering why I liked you. You didn't seem like my type."

"Look who's eating their words now." He smiled in satisfaction and she hit him in his chest.

"I thought about you, too."

"What about me?" she asked pulling the blanket closer to her neck.

"How beautiful you are and how I wanted to get to know you better. I think I thought about you too much though, considering I was throwing my volleyball game afterwards."

It was now Ronnie's turn to smile. "Yeah, I have that affect on people." Will pulled her close and rubbed her back when she let out a small shiver.

"I like your family." She said.

"Yeah, they're pretty great. I like when everyone gets together. We're all so busy, it's like everyone is in their own world."

"Isabella's hilarious. Who knew a four year old could find so many substitutes for swearing? It's like she has her own separate vocabulary."

"She's something else alright. But I love her. She was a little miracle."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after my aunt had Cole and Luis, she was having some problems getting pregnant again. She really wanted a girl so she kept trying for about seven years before she finally gave up. Then, unexpectedly she got pregnant. She was a surprise, considering my aunt was nearly forty when she had her. The doctors warned her that there could be some complications with the birth but she didn't care. She just wanted her baby. The risk was worth it to her. Then came little Izzy, six pounds of pure sass."

She grinned. "She's wonderful. I would love a daughter like that."

"Well, I think you'd be a great mother." He said kissing her forehead.

"Thank you. And you would be an amazing father."

"Really?"

"Do you want encouragement or the truth?"

Will put his hand over his heart. "Ouch."

"Just kidding. Don't be so sensitive. Of course you would."

It was quiet again until he spoke. "Do you want children? Now?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, but not now. Besides, I think something else should come before that."

"And whose decision is that?" he asked looking down at her.

She looked up and shook her head. "It's not my call." She brought his face down to hers and kissed him before closing her eyes. "Good night."

Will sat there and looked at the waves, her words still lingering in his mind.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. This was just one of those cutesy chapters, although some important topics were introduced. Let me know what you think and hit that button. I'm also thinking about writing another fanfiction, so I'll let you guys know what story it'll be based on if I decide to do that. Thanks. **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hello readers. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update. Enjoy chapter twenty. **

Will POV

"Remind me again how I got here?" Scott asked as he wiped the motor oil off his hands with a towel.

Will thought for second. "Well, it started out with my dad asking you for a favor."

Scott nodded. "Oh, yeah. I should have known it was coming." They both laughed. Of course, after Will and Scott had mended their relationship, Tom had asked Scott to come back to the brake shop. Will was glad. It had given them some time to talk and over the past few days, they had gone through a slew of emotions, from everything that went on last summer to what was going on in their lives now. He liked it, though. He didn't feel alone anymore.

"So what's the agenda for today?" Scott asked. Will slid underneath a car. "Well, I'm heading out to the aquarium later with Ronnie. We need to arrange for the loggerhead eggs hatching. You coming?"

"Maybe. I may have some things to do."

"Like what?"

"Might hang out with a friend of mine." He said nonchalantly.

Will slid out from underneath the car and grabbed a wrench from a tool box off to the side. "A friend?"

"Yeah, just some girl from school. She's staying down here with some friends, so I thought I'd meet up with her."

"Do I know her?" Will asked.

"No, but we've gone out a couple of times over the school-year"

Will stood up and put the wrench away. "And you actually like her?"

Scott thought about it for a minute before answering. "Yeah, I do." Will's eyebrows rose. "Wow."

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I guess people can change. The old Scott only seemed to care about one thing."

Scott laughed. "I do still care about that _one _thing." He nudged Will's arm and Will rolled his eyes.

"But I guess I'm starting to notice other things. I don't know, she just seems….different." He got quiet and looked at the ground. Will put his hand on his shoulder. "Aw, I think your heart grew three sizes today."

Scott punched him in the arm. "Whatever. So what about Ronnie? You guys have any plans?"

"What do you mean?"

Scott shrugged. "Nothing, just asking. What's the next step?" Will sighed and leaned on the hood of the car. For the past few days he had been asking himself that exact same question. _What is the next step_, he thought. He knew the obvious answer. He wanted to marry her and from what she'd told him the other night; she wanted to marry him, too. Though many would say they weren't ready, he was only nineteen after all, he felt like it was the milestone they needed to reach.

"I don't know. I mean, I love her and I'm happy with the way things are, but I feel like it's time to move on. I don't see myself being with anyone else and I don't really see the point in waiting. I think I want to marry her, Scott."

"You sure about that?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think I am. Why?"

"Just don't question yourself. Look, Ronnie is an amazing girl and you're pretty lucky. But that doesn't mean you have to rush into things. I'm not saying you are, but just make sure that if you choose to marry Ronnie, it's because you want to marry Ronnie. Not because you feel like you have to. Whatever you decide, I'll support you."

Will took in what he said and pointed to his head. "Thanks, man. It's nice to know you have something other than hot air in there."

He got another punch in the arm and went back to work.

Ronnie POV

"You ready to go?" Will asked Ronnie. They were sitting in the car outside his house. Ronnie was dialing Galadriel's number one last time. Once she heard the voicemail operator, she hung up the phone and put her seatbelt on. "Yeah, I just wanted to call Galadriel one last time. She's been so distant lately."

Will rubbed her shoulder. "Maybe she doesn't feel like talking."

"Yeah, I guess. She's just not usually like this, you know."

Jonah groaned from the backseat. "She probably just has PMS. Now come on, let's go."

Will chuckled before reassuring her. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything's fine."

Ronnie sighed. "I hope it is, or else I'm going to have to hurt you."

Jonah gave a small laugh. "Looks like Galadriel's not the only one." He sang quietly.

Will's brow furrowed. "Why me?"

"Because I always take my emotions out on you. You're like my little stress ball."

Will made sure he heard her correctly. "So in other words, you're going to squeeze me to death?"

Ronnie giggled and pulled his face to hers.

Jonah rolled his eyes. "First you're worried, and then mad, and now this. I'll never understand you women."

When they got to the aquarium, they walked down the long corridor and into the room where the preparations were going on. They were greeted by a few other volunteers from the aquarium, including Elliot and Todd; the head of the aquarium and one of the biologists. For the first half hour, they worked on some loggerhead fact cards for the crowd. Then everyone drew some rough sketches of the beach and nest and how the turtles would get in the water after they hatched. Ronnie was still a little mesmerized by the whole process. She remembered how amazing it was to watch the eggs hatch the year before. She was enthralled by how the aquarium workers had it all figured out.

A little while later, Ronnie went to the filing room to make some copies of the fact cards. As she ran the card through the scanner, she heard the door swing open.

"Hey." Colton said. Ronnie smiled. "Hey, slacker. Where have you been?"

He put up his hands in defense. "Sorry. I just had some things to take care of. Didn't mean to be late. So what are you working on?"

"Just the fact cards. Hopefully, this year people will actually read them instead of just asking me for the exact same information that's on them." Colton chuckled. "I'm guessing you don't like answering questions."

"Nope, not all the time." She said. Colton walked over and stood next to her. "Would you mind answering one of my questions?"

Ronnie contemplated this. "That depends. What's the question?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to-" his sentence was interrupted as the door swung open again. Ronnie looked up and Will smiled at her. He looked at Colton.

"Oh, Will this Colton. Colton this is Will." Colton extended his hand and Will took it. "So you're Will. Pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Will answered. The awkward silence began and Will looked at Ronnie. "You done?"

Ronnie grabbed the last card and used a clip to hold them together. "Yup, let's go." She started to walk towards the door before turning back around. "What was it you were going to ask me, Colton?"

"Oh." He began. "I forgot. It wasn't really that important anyway."

Ronnie sensed something else, but didn't dwell on it. "Okay, you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll meet up with you guys." He answered. She nodded and they walked through the door.

Will POV

Will took a swig of his Gatorade as Ashley walked alongside him. He had gone to the store and as he was walking back, he saw her walking home from the park. It was pretty late and getting dark, so he decided to walk with her.

"Where's your truck?" she asked. He pointed behind them to the parking lot of the store. "Right there."

She nodded and looked at him. "So wouldn't it make sense to drive your car instead of walk?"

Will took another sip. "No, walking is much better for talking."

"I see. And what are we talking about?" she asked.

"You." He answered. "We said we'd talk another time, remember? So how are things with your mom?"

Ashley exhaled and tucked her blonde locks behind her ear. "Not great. She's just been really on edge lately. It mostly has to do with my dad leaving."Her voice got quiet. He saw a tear start to well up in her eye. "It just sucks, you know. He was like my best friend. Even when my mom wasn't on my side, he always seemed to be there. But in a way, I kind of expected it. He and my mom were having some issues in their relationship. They didn't want me to know, of course, but I'm not five years old. I figured it out. He started spending more time at work and staying out later. Soon, we just stopped talking. He was still living with us and everything, but I felt like his mind was in another place entirely. A few weeks before he left, he couldn't even look me in the eye. It's like he was trying to detach himself from me because he knew he was going to hurt me." By this time, tears were streaming down her face and Will reached into his pocket and handed her a tissue.

She gave an embarrassed laugh. "Thanks. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He said. She wiped away her tears and continued. "Anyway, after some time, he basically moved out. He hadn't been home for a while and my mom was getting worried that he would actually leave. One day, she went down to his job and caught him with one of his coworkers. And the rest is history. He moved out and promised my mom that they wouldn't see each other again."

Will looked at her. "And what about you?"

"He told me that he loved me and that it wasn't my fault. But he said he wasn't sure if I would see him again, either. I don't think he hates me or anything, I just think he needs some time away from my mom and all the drama."

Will felt bad for her. It was hard to see her in pain. He knew how much of a great relationship she had with her father and how hard it must have been to go through that.

"My mom may take it out on me sometimes, but I know she's just hurting. Everyone deals with pain in different ways. It's just that hers includes yelling and saying things she doesn't mean." She said in a barely audible voice. He could tell that it was hard for her just to talk about it.

"That doesn't give her an excuse to treat you like this." He said.

Ashley shook her head and looked up. "It's okay. I would probably feel the same way if my husband cheated on me. Maybe I wouldn't react the same way, but it would still hurt. It's terrible to find out that the person you love may love someone else." She looked up at Will. He looked down into her eyes before she swiftly turned her head away.

"Anyway, thanks for talking to me. It feels good to get it out."

"No problem, I'm here anytime you need me."

"You sure?" she asked.

"Of course." He replied. She smiled at him. He smiled back, happy to see she was back to her normal self.

"In that case, I wanted to ask you something." She said.

"What is it?"

"Well, I was cleaning up the garage and I have some things I need to get rid of. I have my dad's old car in there. I was wondering if you wanted to help me fix it up. Then maybe we could sell it or something?"

"Sure. What kind of car is it?"

Ashley thought. "You know…..the kind with the steering wheel…..and tires…and stuff."

Will laughed. "You really are special."

"How's the loggerhead nest coming along?" Tom asked the following night at the dinner table. Jonah looked up from his plate.

"Great. They say they should hatch in the next week or so."

"Great." Susan said. "So what were you guys working on yesterday?"

"Just some fact cards and sketches. The real work will be when they set up the trenches and everything." Ronnie answered.

The conversation continued as everyone talked about their day and plans for the week. Just as Tom brought out a cheesecake from the kitchen for dessert, Megan stood up. "One second, everyone. Before we have dessert, I have an announcement."

Tom looked disappointed. "An announcement more important than chocolate cheesecake?" he asked. Susan kicked him from underneath the table and he smiled. "Go on, dear. You have my full attention."

She smirked. "Thank you, dad. That was very sincere. Anyway, as you all know, I haven't been feeling very well lately and I thought I was just coming down with something, but it seems that's not the case." She looked down at Daniel sitting next to her and gave him a small smile. "I took several tests….and…. Daniel and I are expecting."

The room filled with claps and cheers as Megan beamed. "We actually found out yesterday, but I wanted everyone to be here when I said it."

"I'm going to be an uncle." Will said, amazed.

"And I'm going to be a very young and attractive grandpa." Tom said. He proceeded to cut the cake, but Susan slapped his hand.

"Well, finally." She said.

"What are you talking about, mom?" Daniel asked.

"I thought you'd never figure it out." She stood up and walked around the table towards Megan. "A mother always knows. It's women's intuition." She pulled her into a hug.

"Okay, so can we celebrate with cake now?" Tom asked impatiently.

Susan shook her head. "No, we're not done. I have something for Megan." She walked into the foyer and came back with a small black box. "My grandmother gave it to my mother and my mother gave it to me." Inside the box was a necklace with a heart charm. On the back of the heart, was a small engraved baby bottle.

"It's just a little tradition. Congratulations, sweetie." Megan smiled. "Thank you, mom." She pulled her into a hug and they held each other for a few seconds. After they finally pulled apart, Megan rolled her eyes at her father. "Now you can cut the cake, dad."

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I know that this chapter and the last one were a little sleepy, but don't worry. There is a LOT more to come, I just need some time to segue to the big events, so please bear with me. Anyway, kudos to hmjesseluvva19 for figuring out Megan was pregnant. **

**I am so ecstatic to have reached chapter twenty on this story and even more ecstatic that people actually read and enjoy it. I really love writing this story and being able to share it with others has been very rewarding for me. I love to read your reviews and they never go unnoticed. Thank you so much for sticking with me. **

**My new story is also up. Sticking with the theme of romance and the great Nicholas Sparks, I have written it for **_**Dear John**_**. It is called **_**what the heart desires**_** and the URL is below if you want to read it. Updates coming soon, and review please. Thanks. **

**What the heart desires**

.net/s/7182962/1/What_the_heart_desires


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hello, readers. Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter. Enjoy chapter 21.**

Will POV

Megan scrolled down the page on her laptop as the waiter took Will's order. She felt him nudge her arm across the table.

"What?" she asked.

"Your order?"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. I'll have a grilled chicken sandwich and some mushroom soup." The waiter scribbled the order on his notepad and disappeared into the kitchen.

It was Saturday afternoon and they were at Rey-Nowen's. It was about a week after Megan had announced her pregnancy and Will started to notice the little changes in her as she drank a blend of pink lemonade and coconut water.

"What are you working on anyway?" he asked. She looked up from the laptop. "I was just looking for some sponsors for the benefit. I want to do it as soon as possible."

"So what are you planning on doing?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I think I want to do something competitive. I know how dad's a sucker for a good charity golf game."

Will nodded. Megan looked up at him before closing her laptop. "But I did promise to hang out with you, so this can wait." She turned it off and put it in her bag. "Okay, little brother. I'm all yours."

Will smiled. "Well, thank you for the attention." He took a sip of his soda as the waiter came out of the kitchen with their plates. Megan bit into her sandwich and sighed. "I forgot how good these were."

"Yeah. They used to be your favorite, remember?"

"Of course I do. We used to come here all the time." She looked up at the walls. "We grew up here." She said solemnly.

Will looked up with her as he ate. "Yeah, but soon you'll have your own little one to bring here."

Megan looked down and rubbed her flat stomach. "Yeah, I will. I still can't believe it. I guess it'll finally start to hit me once I start showing."

"What about Daniel? How does he feel about it?"

"He's excited. I'll never forget his face when I told him. I hadn't seen him smile like that since the day he proposed and I said yes." She gave a small smile, recalling the memory.

Will looked down and smiled too, thinking about Ronnie and his conversation with Scott.

"It kind of reminds me of the smile I've been seeing on you lately."

Will looked at her. "What are you talking about?" Megan leaned back in her chair and eyed him. "Come on, Will. You're my brother. I know when something's up. So what is it?"

Will sighed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Well, over the past few days, I've been thinking about my relationship with Ronnie and where I want it to go. There's no denying that I love her and I know she loves me. We've both been through a lot and have had our disagreements but in the end, it's only made us closer. I guess I just-"

"You want to marry her, don't you?" Megan interjected. Will gave a nervous laugh. "Am I that obvious?"

Megan smiled. "Yeah, pretty much. I just want to know something."

"What's that?"

She sighed and put her hand on his arm. "Are you sure you're ready for this? I mean, you're only nineteen, Will. You have your whole life ahead of you."

Will took a deep breath and thought about it. It was the question that had been hounding him forever. He knew that he was young and most people his age thought that it was way too early to settle down. But like he said, he didn't see himself being with anyone else and he saw no point in waiting. He looked up in satisfaction, knowing he could give his sister a clear answer.

"Yes, I am." He said.

Megan stared at him. "You really want to do this, huh?"

"Yes, Megan. I really do. I love her. More than love actually. There is no one word to describe how I feel about her. She's the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing that runs through my mind before I go to sleep. I can't help but love her more any time I see her smile or hear her laugh. It amazes me how special she is and I learn something new about her everyday. She's an incredible person and she's so kind. I've never loved anyone like I love her. She's my best friend and I don't want to be without her."

Megan smiled. "Then I'd say you're ready."

Ronnie POV

"Are you doing anything today?" Will asked. He rubbed Ronnie's back as she groaned. "I don't think so, I'm a little tired. I was up all night talking to my mom."

They were on his bed and she was lying on her stomach while he sat up next to her. "How's she doing?"

"Great. She and Brian are making the final plans for the wedding. The date is set for December."

"That's great. I was wondering when they would finally tie the knot."

Ronnie yawned. "Yup, they've been engaged for almost two years. They've just been really busy and haven't had time to plan a wedding."

"Speaking of planning, you still haven't told me what you want to do for your birthday." He said.

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it. Do you have something planned?"

"Even if I do, I'm not telling you. Birthdays are all about surprises." He said.

"A surprise from you? Now I'm a little scared."

Will chuckled and continued rubbing her back. "So do you want something to eat?"

Ronnie looked back at him and sat up. "What's up with you?"

"What are you talking about?"

She scooted over and sat next to him. "I don't know. It's just that you've been really nice to me lately…and helpful….. and you're listening to me more."

"Don't I always do that?"

Ronnie crossed her arms. "Yeah, but you've been _really _nice. It's like the Will-o-Nice-meter has gone up ten notches." Will laughed and pulled her to him. She rested her head against his chest. "Can't I be nice just to be nice? Why do you always think I'm up to something?"

Ronnie sighed and ran her fingers down his chest. "You're right. I should trust you."

Will kissed her forehead. "Thank you. So when are you heading to the aquarium?"

"Maybe tomorrow. The eggs are supposed to be hatching on Tuesday, so I might head there to help out with some things."

"Will Colton be there?" he asked. Ronnie looked up. "I don't know, maybe. Why?"

Will shook his head. "No reason."

Ronnie sat up. "Yes there is a reason. What is it?"

"Nothing, really. I just know that he works at the aquarium and you guys see a lot of each other."

"You're not jealous, are you?"

Will thought about it for a moment. "Actually, yes I am." Ronnie giggled. "Wow, I didn't expect you to admit it so quickly."

"Oh, I'm not really jealous. I just remember what you said you'd do the last time you thought I was jealous."

Ronnie laughed. "Right, I forgot about that. Refresh my memory."

"Well," Will began. "You promised me no more wise cracks and you'd pay more attention to me." He said putting his hands on her waist. Ronnie rolled over until she was lying on top of him. "Mmm-hmm." She said.

"And you said we'd spend a lot more time together." He continued.

"Mmm-hmm."

"No more making fun of my flaws."

"Mmm-hmm."

"And you'd agree with me when I say I'm an amazing kisser." He said. Ronnie grimaced. "I'm not sure I can do that last one." Will scoffed and Ronnie smiled. He brought her face down to his and kissed her lips. After a few seconds, she broke the kiss and looked down at him. "Okay, I agree."

"So how long does it take these to grow?" Ronnie asked Susan. She was admiring a patch of peonies that were blooming along the sidewalk.

Susan reached into her pocket and dug around for the key to the greenhouse. "Those have been here for a few months. They're one of my favorites." She said. After a few seconds, she pulled out the key and put it in the lock. As she walked in, Ronnie followed behind her.

Susan sighed. "Well, here it is."

Ronnie looked around in awe as she laid eyes on the wide range of colorful flowers. The green house was spacious and countless pots of flowers and plants lined all of the walls. She looked up and saw various types of roses hanging from the ceiling as the bright light from the sun blazed through the skylight.

"Wow." She whispered. Susan smiled and walked over to her. "I know, it's beautiful isn't it? It's my pride and joy. It's started out as a little hobby but now it's something I can't imagine living without."

Ronnie walked over and gently touched a small Calla Lily. "When did you start doing this?"

"A few years ago. I wanted something to ease some stress away and I found that this helps. I actually expanded it after Will left for school. I added some more space in the back and now it's twice as big."

"I've heard of gardening, but never like this. I can't believe I've never been back here before."

Susan pulled out some watering cans from a small shed and handed one to Ronnie before she gently trickled water on some Hydrangeas. "Well, I don't usually let people back here. It's my own little sanctuary…a way I can get away from it all."

Ronnie watered some of the flowers before looking up at Susan. "Thanks for bringing me here."

Susan looked back at her. "Look, I know I haven't always given you the friendliest approach and I know how I've treated you is wrong. But I have learned a lot about you this past month. I've learned what a good person you are. Even though I wasn't as nice as I could've been, you were so patient and mature about it. Not once did you disrespect me like I did you. And you're so good with Will, no matter how much I didn't want you to be. I know how he feels about you and I can see that you feel the same way. I realize that we're halfway through the summer and you two will go back to New York to continue your lives together, whether I like it or not. I just want to tell you I'm sorry for everything I've put you both through. It's just that Will's the only son I have left and I can't let anything happen to him, including letting him get his heart broken. But I see how wonderful you are and I know you won't let that happen. I'm so sorry, Ronnie."

Ronnie stood motionless, enthralled by her words. It was something she never expected to hear. Even after the few times they had spent together, she wasn't quite sure that Susan would ever completely except her and started to think of it as a lost cause. Her lips soon turned up in a small smile as she pulled Susan into her arms.

She was surprised at first, but soon wrapped her arms around her also.

"Thank you." Ronnie said softly.

Susan smiled in her arms and rubbed her back. "You're welcome."

Ronnie walked up the steps of the house before knocking on the door. No one answered and she lifted her hand to knock again just as the door swung open and Galadriel stood in front of her.

"Where have you been?" Ronnie asked. "I've been calling you for days. I was so worried."

"I'm fine." She said quickly. "I've just been busy."

Ronnie noticed how antsy she was. "Just busy?" She walked past her and into the living room. Galadriel closed the front door and quickly followed.

"Yeah, I had a lot going on and I'm sorry I didn't get back to you." She said. Ronnie nodded and walked down the hall to her bedroom. Galadriel followed behind her. "Ronnie, wait."

Ronnie opened the door and gasped when Marcus looked up at her.

Will POV

Ashley stood next to Will, who was leaning over the open hood of the car. "So what's wrong with it?" she asked.

"Well, the alternator needs to be checked, the battery's dead, the lights don't work and…pretty much everything."

Ashley frowned. "Oh."

"But on the bright side, the car itself is in pretty good condition." He walked over and tried to open the door, but the handle broke off. "Never mind."

Ashley gave a small laugh. "So can we fix it?"

Will put his hand on his chest. "In the words of the great Bob the builder…yes we can." Ashley laughed again and Will joined her. "But it's going to take some elbow grease."

Ashley nodded. "No problem. I'm ready for anything."

"Great." Will grabbed the toolbox he had brought and got to work taking out some of the parts. Ashley stood next to him, handing him tools and flashing a light whenever he needed her to.

"So how's everything been with your mom?" he asked.

"You know, same old same old. She's working overtime this week so she hasn't been home a lot for the past few days. I've been here by myself."

"Sounds rough."

"It's been ok. But thanks for helping me out with this. It feels nice to hang out with somebody. I thought I would never talk to another member of the human race again."

Will smiled. "No problem. Hand me that screwdriver, please." Ashley reached into the toolbox and pulled out the red screwdriver.

"So how's your family?" she asked.

"Good. Everyone's excited about the baby."

"Oh, right. Is she having cravings yet?"

He nodded. "All the time. It's so weird. I don't get you women."

Ashley grinned. "Hey, it's not our fault. Blame the hormones."

"It's still weird." He said. "Light, please." Ashley flashed the light into the car.

"What about Ronnie? How's she?"

"Great. She's actually been spending some time with my mom."

"Really? That's great."

Will stopped working and looked up. "Yeah, it is. It's actually…pretty amazing. After everything that's happened, I never imagined I'd see them like that. It's refreshing to see them get along, especially after all the thinking I've done these past few weeks."

Ashley turned the flashlight off. "And what have you been thinking about?"

Will grabbed a towel from the shelf and wiped the grease off his hands. "I'm going to ask Ronnie to marry me."

Ashley stood in silence as if the words he spoke froze her. Once she regained her composure, she put down the flashlight. "Wow." She said, taking a seat on the bench in the corner of the garage. Will sat down next to her.

"I know. It was a big decision to make but I'm ready to take that step."

Ashley tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. "Then I'm happy for you."

Will smiled back. "Thank you. That means so much. You know, you've been a really good friend, Ashley."

"Thanks." She said.

"No, I really mean it. The way you've been here for me and looked out for me. I know we've had our differences but I really, really care about you. I'm happy we were able to build this bond this summer. Now I don't know what I'd do without you." He pulled her into his arms for a hug.

Ashley wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. A single tear fell from her cheek as she whispered, so low that he couldn't hear. "I don't know what I'm going to do without _you_."

Ronnie POV

Ronnie waited on the sidewalk as Galadriel locked the door. After she came down the steps, she joined Ronnie and they started walking.

"Listen, I'm really sorry I haven't called you or anything. I just didn't know what to say. I wanted to spend time with you, but I couldn't leave him alone." Galadriel explained.

"But why is he here? I thought you guys were done." Ronnie said.

"We are. I'm just helping him out."

"With what?" Ronnie asked. She stopped walking and pulled Galadriel with her. "What's wrong with him?"

Galadriel sighed. "He overdosed on some medication last week and went to the hospital. He's been staying with me for the past few days."

"What? Was it on purpose?"

"I don't know. Apparently he was unconscious in his car and someone found him and called 911. While he was in the hospital, he called me and told me he had nowhere else to go. I didn't want him to hurt himself or do anything stupid, so I picked him up and told him he could stay with me. Even though he did what he did, I don't want him to take his own life. Even he doesn't deserve that."

Ronnie drew a deep breath. "But why would he do that to himself?"

Galadriel sighed. "I don't know. I don't even know the whole story. All I know is that I've never seen him like that before. He just seems so lost and out of it. It's like he's just a lifeless shell. I've never seen him this vulnerable and I feel a little bad for him."

Ronnie crossed her arms. "Why didn't you just tell me what was going on?"

"Because I knew what you'd say. You'd tell me that he's just trying to mess with my head."

"Well, he is, Galadriel." She countered.

"No, Ronnie. He's not. He needs help and he has no one else but me. Even if he is trying to get in my head, you know I won't let him. I know how much he's hurt me in the past and I'm stronger now. He's been here for almost a week and we haven't done anything. I'm not going to let him take advantage of me, I'm just lending a hand. Now can you just trust that I can handle this myself?"

Ronnie sighed. "Fine. I'll trust you. But if he tries anything funny, promise me you'll kick him out and be satisfied with the fact that you tried to help."

Galadriel smiled. "I promise."

Will POV

Will pulled out his phone and dialed the number. His heartbeat sped up as he waited for her to answer. He felt as if this phone call was the beginning to the rest of his life. His heart ached a little at the fact that it wasn't her father he was asking this question to, but he shoved that thought aside and focused on the bigger picture. After a few rings, he heard her voice.

"Hey, Mrs. Miller. There's something I wanted to ask you."

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review.**


	22. Chapter 22

Will POV

Will watched as a mass of a few dozen people slowly grew into hundreds. It seemed like the amount of people at the hatching was twice as much as it had been the previous year.

He, Ronnie, and Jonah had been at the aquarium all afternoon helping with preparations for the eggs. Even some his family had come out to witness the event, including his little cousin Isabella, who was being entertained by Ronnie while he helped Elliot with the trench.

They smoothed out the sand making it easier for the turtles to travel to the water once they hatched. Afterwards, Elliot walked over to talk to some of the other workers while Will grabbed a bottle of water and took a swig.

"Hey." He turned around and saw Megan walking towards him. "How's everything going so far?"

Will put down the bottle. "Pretty good. It should only be about a half hour wait or so at the most."

"So where's Ronnie?" Will pointed up to the pier. "Somewhere up there. She's keeping Isabella occupied. Earlier this afternoon, she was so excited, she nearly ran right into the ocean. I had to run in after her before she got in too deep. We decided it would be best to keep her away from the water."

Megan chuckled. "Yup, that's Izzy for you." She grabbed a nearby beach chair and sat down. Will eyed her. "Tired?"

"No, it's just that sitting down is a lot more comfortable now." Will chuckled and handed her a bottle of water. "Well it's only going to get harder, you're only in about your second month, remember?"

Megan groaned and threw her head back. "Right. I hope this will all be worth it. For all the pain I'm going to go through, I better get a prodigy or a kid genius or something."

Will laughed and Megan joined him. After a few minutes, he saw Scott and someone else approaching them.

"Hey, guys. This is Riley." He said.

Riley flipped her long, curly brown locks and shook both Will and Megan's hands as Scott introduced them. "Hi, it's so nice to meet you. Scott has told me so much."

Will smiled at her. "Likewise. Scott, is this the girl you were telling me about? The one that attends NCSU with you?"

"Yup this is her. Riley's been down here for a few weeks with some friends and I thought I'd bring her here for some fun. So when are the chicks hatching?"

Will scoffed and put his head down. "Scott, you know they're turtles."

"Isn't that what I said?"

Will looked at Riley while she let out a small giggle. 'It's okay. At least he has his looks."

Riley laughed again. "I'm going to head to the bathroom. I'll be back before it starts." She quickly walked up the stairs to the boardwalk where the bathroom was.

"She's cute, huh?"

Will nodded. "Mmm-hmm. She seems nice."

Scott grinned. "Yeah, she's reeeeaaaal nice." Megan rolled her eyes. "You're such a guy."

"What's wrong with that?" he asked.

Megan rolled her eyes again and turned to Will. "So what's going on with Ronnie?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean with the proposal, silly. When are you going to do it?"

Will shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know yet, but as soon as possible. I have talked to mom and dad about it, though."

Megan and Scott stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?" Will asked.

"I just didn't expect you'd do it so soon. How did it go?" She asked. Will looked up and thought back to the conversation with his mother the previous night. He had chosen to tell both his mother and his father at the same time, hoping Tom would be able to calm her down if she went ballistic.

Her reaction still astonished him. She didn't act at all how he expected her to. It was like she was….happy about it. She wasn't angry or taken back, instead she just made sure that he really wanted to do it and then gave him her blessing.

In the back of his mind, he always knew that if she didn't agree with his decision, he would still go through with it. He didn't want anything or anyone getting in his way. But it felt nice to know that for once, when it came to Ronnie, she was actually on his side.

He smiled. "It went great. They're both happy for me."

Megan and Scott stared at him again. "Really?" Scott asked. "It went great?"

"Yeah."

Megan took a sip of water and then placed the bottle in the sand. "Good. So have you talked to Ronnie's….." she trailed off.

Will sighed. "Yeah. It was a little sad that it wasn't her father I was asking, but her mom is excited, too. So I have her blessing."

Scott laughed. "Well, that was pretty easy. I thought I'd have to get you a bulletproof vest and a getaway car to avoid your mom."

Megan sighed and stood up. She smiled and hugged Will. "I'm so happy for you."

Will looked over to the ocean, where both Elliot and Todd stood patiently. "I'm thinking of doing it while we're here. You know, before we have to head back to New York for school."

"Aww, that's sweet. A proposal right in the place where it all started."

Scott groaned. "Ugh, you women are so sentimental." Megan slapped him in the chest and sat back down. "So how are you going to do it?"

"Do it?"

Megan narrowed her eyes. "I mean, how are you going to propose? It takes a lot more than just getting down on one knee and popping the question. It has to be creative, original, romantic, and spontaneous. Come on, think outside of the box."

Scott nodded. "I'm actually with Megan on this one. You have to be creative."

Ashley POV

Ashley ran her finger around the rim of her glass as she watched him pace back and forth from her table on the pier. Earlier, she saw him talking to Megan and Scott, until Megan walked off with her husband and Scott ditched him to hang out with some girl.

"Hello? Earth to Ashley." Cassie spoke, waving her hand in Ashley's face.

Ashley stepped out of her trance and gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry. Just spaced out for a second."

Taylor sipped her slushie. "You've been doing that all day. I'm starting to think you're watching a certain someone." She winked at Cassie and they both looked down at Will."

"I'm not watching him. It's just that he looks a little stressed. Like he's got a lot on his mind."

"Mmh-hmm. Sure. Or you could be watching him because of something else." Taylor said. Ashley drank the last of her soda. "Come on, Tay. You know it's over between us. I'm lucky he's even my friend. After everything I've done to sabotage his relationship, I don't even deserve his friendship. Besides, now that he's getting married and all-"

Cassie almost choked on the smoothie she was drinking. "Whoa, back up. He's getting what?"

"Married. Last week, while we were fixing up my dad's car, he told me that he's going to propose to her." She said.

Cassie and Taylor both looked at each other and then back at Ashley. "And you're just going to let him?" Cassie said.

"What are you talking about?" Ashley asked.

Taylor scoffed and tucked a strand of her jet black hair behind her ear. "We mean you're being dumb about this. Sure, the whole friend thing is pretty nice, but we know you, Ash. We know how you feel about him. If you let him marry Ronnie, it's over. You have no chance of getting him back."

Ashley sighed. "But he doesn't want me back. He's marrying Ronnie and I just have to accept that."

"Really, because the Ashley we know wouldn't let something like this happen. If she wanted something, she would go after it and get it, no matter what it takes." Cassie said.

"Well, things change." Ashley said softly.

Taylor looked down at Will one more time then looked back at Ashley. "Well, then let me ask you something. Do you care about Will?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you miss being with him?"

"All the time." She said solemnly.

"And do you still love him?"

Ashley was silent for a few seconds, staring down at him in all his perfection. "Yes, with all my heart."

Taylor leaned over the table and spoke, so clearly that Ashley could tell how sincere she was just by looking into her brown eyes. "Then. Get. Him. Back."

Ronnie POV

"How much longer?" Isabella asked, getting restless.

"Not much. It should be starting in a few minutes." Ronnie answered. Isabella sighed and placed her hands on the railing of the pier. "Good. We've been here forever. I have a life, you know."

Ronnie grinned and picked her up. "I know. But trust me, it'll all be worth it. Once you see those turtles come out of their shells and race to the ocean, you'll want to see it again and again."

Isabella smiled. "Really?"

Ronnie pulled a strand of her blonde hair from her face. "Yeah. It's the most magical thing I've ever seen."

"Oooh, I love magic. I'm actually part wizard." She said, crossing her arms. Ronnie put her down. "You are?"

"Mmm-hmm. Only partly, though. Being a full wizard is a lot of work."

Ronnie laughed. "I bet it is. When did you become a 'partial wizard'?"

Isabella put her finger on her temple and thought really hard, causing Ronnie to giggle. "Well, one day I was approached by the head wizard of the fantasy world and he had some spare powers that he wasn't using, so he offered them to me. I would have taken them all, but he told how much work it would be, so I asked him for some, not all. He said I was the first person to ever take only some of the powers."

"Wow, I guess that means you're a leader."

Isabella flipped her curls. "Of course, I am. You think anyone wore their hair like this before me?"

Ronnie laughed. "I'm sure they didn't."

"But being a part-time wizard isn't easy either. When I started, I didn't know what the fannaggle I was doing!"

As Ronnie laughed again, Colton walked up behind them. "Hey, what's so funny?"

"Just having a chat with Wrightsville's best partial wizard slash most precious child."

Colton looked down at her. "Really?"

Isabella cleared her throat and saluted him. "Actually I'm the _world's_ best partial wizard. Isabella Joy-Anna Nichols at your service."

Colton shook her hand and looked at Ronnie. "She's adorable."

"Yeah, that was my same reaction towards her. She's Will's little cousin. I'm just keeping her out of trouble until the eggs hatch."

She leaned over and whispered loudly in Colton's ear. "You know, I would use my powers to speed up the process, but I don't want to show off."

Colton laughed. "Okay."

They talked for a few minutes until Ronnie saw Will give her a signal to come down. "Okay, I think it's time."

* * *

Since they all helped out at the aquarium, Will, Ronnie, and Colton got the best view closest to the eggs. Isabella was ecstatic that she didn't have to stand behind the pesky, restricting caution tape. After she promised not too run towards the eggs if she got too excited, Will put her in front of him and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Right before the first egg hatched, Jonah came running down to the beach. "I'm here, I'm here!" he yelled, breathlessly.

"Where have you been?" Ronnie asked. "You almost missed it."

"I'm sorry. I told you that second extra large lemonade would catch up with me."

The magical moment unfolded the same way Ronnie remembered it. She relived those moments she treasured last year over again and in even better detail. She saw the familiar first crack on the first egg. The way the turtles emerged from the eggs, leaving their broken shells behind. She looked over and saw Isabella, completely mesmerized by the experience. For a brief moment, she looked up at Ronnie and smiled. "It is magical." She whispered.

Will POV

Will grabbed two bottles of iced tea from the cooler and walked back to Jonah, who was sitting on the steps.

"Thanks." He said taking the bottle. "Man, I didn't think it could be any better than the last time, but it was."

"I know what you mean." Will said.

Jonah sighed as he looked toward the ocean. The sun was just starting to set and he could already see a pinkish hue. "It's kinda sad that my dad isn't here, though. I know he would have loved it. Can you believe that it would have only been his second time seeing the eggs hatch? I mean, he lived here his whole childhood and he never saw loggerhead nests hatch."

Jonah laughed. He meant it to be a laugh due to humor, but Will heard the pain and bitterness behind it.

"Thanks, Will."

Will's brow furrowed. "For what?"

"For hanging out with me this summer. It felt weird not being with my dad and I thought I would be lonely here all summer, but you took care of me. I appreciate it."

"No problem, buddy. I'm here anytime you need me." Jonah sipped his iced tea. "So what are you going to do about my sister?"

"I don't know. I want to be creative about my proposal. But after Megan suggested I whisk her off to another country and spend thousands of dollars and Scott suggested I hide the tiny ring in a huge field and make her sky dive for it, I decided I should probably come up with my own idea."

Jonah laughed and his glasses slid off his nose. He turned around and faced Will. "Well, come on. I know you can be original. You know my sister. What's something she really likes?"

Will thought for a moment. "Movies?"

"Yeah. So why don't you do something that involves one of her favorite things, movies."

"Really?"

"Mmm-hmm. As a matter of fact, you could…" Jonah leaned over and whispered in Will's ear. Will listened intently and his lips slowly turned up in a smile.

Ronnie POV

The railing on the boardwalk creaked as Colton rested his elbows on it. "So how was your first loggerhead hatching experience?" Ronnie asked.

"Amazing. I've never seen anything like it."

"Good. I was hoping you'd have that reaction."

It was silent as they both watched the sun. "So what are you doing for your birthday?"

Ronnie shrugged. "I don't know. But knowing Will, I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve."

"Well, he should. Nineteen is a big birthday." Colton said.

"Oh, really? And why is that?" she said crossing her arms.

"Well, for one, they celebrate the year you made an awesome friend. Name starting with Col ending with Ton."

Ronnie laughed. "That's true. What else?"

"It also celebrates the year that you came face to face with the world's most incredible singer, yours truly."

Ronnie shook her head. "You are quite the character." She turned around and looked back at the sunset that was right at its peak. The sky was filled breathtaking shades of purple, pink, and blue. Colton stared at her profile, admiring the way the gentle sea breeze lightly blew her hair around her perfect face. She turned around and smiled. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just admiring something beautiful."

"I know. The sunset's amazing today." She said.

"I wasn't talking about the sunset."

Ronnie could feel the blood rush to her face and smiled at him, unable to speak.

Colton smiled back. "I wanted to ask you something. I was thinking that maybe-"

"Hey." Will said, walking towards them. Jonah was behind him. "We're all heading out for dinner. You guys coming?"

Ronnie cleared her throat and turned around. "Of course. That sounds fun." Megan soon joined them along with Daniel and a few other friends.

"Okay, now we just have to wait for Scott and his friend."

Ronnie nodded and turned back to Colton. "What were you saying?"

"I was just-"

Colton's face froze as he looked behind Ronnie. She turned around and saw Scott with a girl.

The girl's face matched Colton's and she looked at a loss for words. "Colton?" She whispered.

"Riley?"

**A/N: Hello, people. Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I thought it would be a cool concept to have everybody in one place all at the same time, but have a bunch of different things and conversations going on. I hope you guys enjoyed getting a little bit of Isabella time (Isn't she precious?) Trust me, there will be a lot more of her in this story. I also hope that some of you are cutting Ashley some slack. I will admit that I was not a huge fan of hers in **_**the last song**_**, but I also wanted to show a different side of her in this story. It may seem like she just completely changed, but remember all her issues with her family and all her friends moving on without her. **

**I really liked writing about the relationship between Will and Jonah. I think that Will is a bit of a father figure for Jonah and I hope you guys agree. **

**And who do you guys think Riley is and why was Colton so shocked to see her? Hint, hint: Her characters already been revealed in a previous chapter (well, kinda). Please review. Update coming soon. **


	23. Chapter 23

Ronnie POV

Ronnie yawned as she rubbed her eyes and squinted at the sun. She reached up and pulled the curtains closed. It was probably pretty late, considering the amount of activity she heard going on outside of the room. She turned around and placed the pillow over her head, trying to block out the noise.

The night before, they had gotten home at almost two in the morning. After everyone went out to dinner, they stopped downtown and wandered around the shops, talking and looking around. Everyone except Colton, that is.

Ronnie ran her thumb along her bottom lip. She still couldn't figure it out. The way he looked at Riley just wasn't normal. He obviously recognized her and knew her, but it wasn't like two old friends meeting up again. It was like he thought she disappeared and was seeing her ghost. Her reaction to him said the exact same thing. After standing still for nearly five minutes, Colton conjured up some excuse and said he had to go home and Riley did the same. She tried calling him, to make sure he was okay, but he kept forwarding her to voicemail. When she got home, she put her phone on the nightstand and collapsed on the bed. Tired and full, she assumed he'd call her back when he was ready.

She yawned again just as the door creaked open. "Hey, you up?"

She rolled over and smiled at Will. "Yes. I couldn't get back to sleep with all that ruckus going on outside. I'm still a little tired." He walked over and sat next to her. "Well, you had to get up sooner or later." He placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "Happy Birthday."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you." They sat there for a few minutes before Will heard her snore. "Ron, are you sleeping?"

She awoke and looked up. "I told you I was still tired."

He laughed. "Come on, get up."

"No, I don't want to." She whined.

He got up and hoisted her over his shoulders. She giggled as he swung her around. "Will, stop!"

He walked toward the bathroom door and put her down. "No, you are going to brush your teeth and be downstairs in five minutes."

She groaned. "But it's my birthday."

"Exactly, and you can't spend it under the covers all day. Besides, then you won't get your surprises."

He laughed when she quickly grabbed her toothbrush and shut the door.

Marcus POV

Marcus leaned back on the recliner and watched as she opened the refrigerator. "What do you want?" she called out from the kitchen.

He shrugged. "Water's fine."

Galadriel reached into the refrigerator and emerged with two bottles of water. She walked over and handed him one before taking a seat on the couch. She turned on the T.V and absentmindedly flipped through the channels while she took a sip.

It had been a few weeks since he had left the hospital. Everyday, she surprised him more and more with her generosity. Ever since their confrontation in the music store, she hadn't so much as given him a second glance and he knew she was still pissed at him. The day he called her from the hospital, he didn't actually believe she'd let him stay with her. In the past, he was always able to manipulate her into doing basically anything he wanted, but he had a feeling that this time was different. She wasn't helping him because he made her do it or pressured her to do it. She was helping him because she felt bad for him. It was like she felt pity for him. He had to admit, he didn't really like it. He didn't enjoy feeling helpless. But on the other hand, he did feel kind of guilty.

He would be the first to admit that he wasn't the nicest guy and he didn't treat her the best he could have. But that wasn't his fault. She just made him so angry sometimes and he needed to teach her a lesson so she wouldn't do it anymore. He knew that the booze he had every now and then didn't help much, but that wasn't his fault either. So what if he got a little crazy when he drank? Didn't everybody? Besides, it wasn't like he beat her and threw her across the room. He just gave her a stern talking to every now and then to keep her in check.

Still, the way she was treating him was a bit confusing. Clearly, she didn't want to get back together with him. They had been in the house together for a little over three weeks and she barely talked to him other than to ask him basic questions. Like the occasional, "do you want ketchup?" and "could you pass me the remote?" He didn't say anything either, not wanting to upset her. He really didn't have anywhere else to go and the last thing he needed was to piss her off even more than he already had.

The whole situation actually made him appreciate her a little more. There had to be something he liked about her, or else he wouldn't have kept her around as long as he had. But watching her the past few days had brought up some old feelings. She had changed quite a bit since they broke up. He noticed that her once dark hair had gotten a little lighter. Not a drastic change, but definitely noticeable. She had lost some weight, too. Not enough that she looked completely different, but enough that he noticed some curves that didn't seem to be there before. These days, she opted to wear maybe two or three earrings in each ear, rather than the half a dozen she used to. She seemed different, and he didn't know why, but he liked it. He liked it a lot.

"Why aren't you talking to me?" he asked. She looked up, startled, as if she never expected to hear his voice.

"What do you mean?"

"You're ignoring me. We haven't talked in days. It's like we're two strangers."

She sipped her water. "Aren't we?"

"What?"

She put the bottle on the coffee table and looked up at him. "Marcus, why are you here?"

"Because I was in the hospital and you said I could-"

She shook her head and cut him off. "No I mean why were you in the hospital? I know I said you could stay here, but you never told me why you overdosed. I think as someone who's giving you a place to stay, I deserve to know."

He sighed and put his water down. "I didn't do it on purpose. I was drunk and I was at the pier with some of the guys. I was a little down so I thought a night out would help. I got in my car around four in the morning and I was getting a headache. I had some pain killers so I took some. I don't even know how many, I just swallowed as much as I could and drank some beer. I felt a little woozy and then everything just sort of went black."

"So it wasn't on purpose?"

"I'm not really sure. Yeah, I was drunk, but I was a little aware of what I was doing. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I knew that if I went too far and hurt myself, I wouldn't really care."

Galadriel exhaled. "Why not?"

"Because that's how I live my life. I just don't care. Lately it's been a little hard for me." He rubbed his chin. "I don't really have any money and I've been fighting with the guys. I'm on my own, as usual. But now it seems like I'm _really_ alone."

Galadriel sighed and turned around. Marcus stared at her. "Besides, I kind of miss you." She turned back around to face him. "What?"

"I know I've been a little out of it lately. I'm just lost because I don't really know why I'm here, either. When I called you, I never thought you'd actually let me stay here. Now I'm trying to figure out why you did."

"Because you needed my help."

"I know. But I don't deserve it." He got up and sat next to her. He felt her pull back but he stayed where he was. He wanted her to hear this. "You're a good person, Galadriel. After everything I put you through, you still took me in. I don't deserve a speck of your attention and yet I'm sitting in your living room. These past few weeks have made me appreciate you and I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for putting you through all that crap and I'm sorry for treating you like trash all these years. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to kick my ass right now."

She crossed her arms. "I do."

Marcus chuckled and he saw her give a faint smile. "I guess I'm just trying to say thank you. Without you, I don't know where I would be. I know this probably isn't what you want to hear right now, but I need you to know that I still care about you, Galadriel." He moved closer to her, but this time she didn't pull back.

"I still care about you and I miss you. I know my chances are slim and the feeling probably isn't mutual but I still needed to tell you. I still love you."

She simply looked back at him, as if hypnotized by his words. Her face was a mixture of confusion and uncertainty.

He cupped the side of her face and leaned in closer to her. He whispered softly in her ear, "I love you" before he leaned in and placed his lips against hers.

Ronnie POV

"Okay, open mine first!" Megan yelled enthusiastically. They were all sitting at the table having breakfast while Ronnie opened her gifts.

"Okay, okay." She said. She ripped off the paper and inside was an antique musical jewelry holder, along with about a thousand pieces of jewelry.

"Wow, this is so nice. Thank you." She leaned over and hugged her.

Megan smiled. "You're welcome. It's entirely from me, by the way. This one had nothing to do with it." She pointed to Daniel who was stuffing his face with pancakes.e He

He put up his hands defensively. "It's not my fault. She wouldn't let me help. A woman with a credit card is a like a loaded cannon ready to explode."

Tom laughed until Susan shot him a look. Next, Susan handed Ronnie her gift which was a new laptop case. Will grabbed her gift from Kim and Brian which had come in the mail the night before. After she opened it, Jonah grabbed his gift.

"This one is from me." He said.

She pinched his cheek before opening up the box. Inside was a vintage Polaroid camera.

"Oh my gosh. Jonah, this is awesome. How could you afford this?"

Jonah placed his finger on his temple. "Well, my allowance, some extra chores, and a lot of blackmail." He looked up at Will with a knowing smile.

"This is amazing. Thank you." She leaned over and hugged him. "You're welcome. I know how much you wanted one. You deserve it."

Ronnie had to hold back the tear that threatened to leave her eye.

After all the gifts, they ate breakfast. Once they were done, Ronnie walked into the kitchen to help with the dishes before Will pulled her away.

"Oh no you don't. It's your birthday. You shouldn't be washing dishes. Besides, you have to get ready."

"Ready for what?" she asked.

Will pulled her toward his bedroom. "We're going somewhere."

On the bed were two suitcases. Ronnie turned toward him. "What is all this?"

"You need clothes to go on a trip don't you? Now go on and take a shower." He looked at his watch. "We have to leave in an hour." He walked out of the room.

"But where are we going?" Ronnie yelled. Will poked his head through the door. "If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

* * *

Ronnie leaned her head against the window until she saw the airport sign. She looked toward Will, who had his eyes focused on the road. "The airport? We're flying?"

"Mmm-hmm." He made a turn and drove up to the second floor parking area.

After they parked, he reached into the trunk and grabbed their suitcases. He hadn't let Ronnie look in them, thinking she might figure out their destination if she saw what was inside. She scoffed at him when he explained it, thinking it was ridiculous.

Once they got through the rigorous airport process, they made their way onto the plane. Ronnie sat next to the window while Will took the aisle seat.

"So you're really not going to tell me where we're going?" she asked.

Will removed a strand of hair from her face. "You really don't understand the point of a surprise do you?"

She flicked him in the ear. "Don't get smart. I just want to know where we're going. Not everyday do I get whisked on a plane with no clue of my destination."

He smiled and kissed her. "Don't worry. I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

"So how long is this flight?"

"About forty five minutes." He said. She looked up at him. "That's kind of short. Why didn't we just drive?"

Will reached into his carry-on bag and pulled out a box. "Because I can't give you my full attention if I'm driving. I didn't even give you my gift yet." He handed her the box.

She took it and started to rip the paper. "I thought this trip was my gift."

He nodded. "It's one of them. There's a lot more to come."

Ronnie ripped off the last of the paper and then opened the box. Inside was a photo album. On the front was a picture she recognized very well. It was of her and Will at Megan's wedding. She smiled at him before opening it up. Inside were various pictures of both of them from last summer. There were some fairly new ones she remembered them taking in New York through out the school year. She saw tons of Jonah and Megan, along with the rest of his family. She giggled at the ones of him as a baby, saying how cute he was.

Ronnie was so lost in her gift that she didn't even notice the plane taking off. The flight attendant had to remind them to buckle their seat belts.

"This is beautiful. Thank you so much." She said. Will pulled down the shade on the window. "That's not all. Look at this." He turned off their light and flicked a switch in the back of the album. Instantly, a light inside each page illuminated every picture, giving them a glowing affect. She turned every page over and over again in awe. When she was done, she kissed his cheek.

"Thank you." She said again.

"You're welcome. I'm happy you like it. I love you."

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him, loving the fact that she was celebrating her birthday with such a loving and caring person. "I love you, too."

Ashley POV

Ashley rang the doorbell again and again, almost impatiently. _Why isn't anyone answering?_ She thought. After a while, Tom appeared.

"Oh, hi Ashley. This is a surprise." He said.

"Hi, Mr. Blakelee. Is Will here?" she asked.

"No, you just missed him. He left with Ronnie for the weekend."

Ashley's face fell. "Oh."

"Yeah, but they'll be back in a couple of days. You want me to tell him you stopped by?"

Ashley shook her head. "No, it wasn't really important anyway. I'll just go home."

As she walked down the steps, she pulled the envelope out of her pocket and ripped it in half, trying to wipe the tears from her face.

**A/N: As always, thanks for reading. I know the proposal seems long overdue but it's coming very soon. Very very soon, like next chapter soon. (Cough, cough) lol**

**I've also been doing POVs from basically all the characters. I like to let you guys know what they think and their personalities. I hope you guys got a bit of Marcus's personality in his POV. I would love to hear your feedback on him and Galadriel. I wonder what you guys think her reaction will be to the kiss. Let me know!**

**NverSayNver: If I told you whether they stayed together or not, it would ruin the story. Don't worry, I'm a Ronnie and Will fan also and I think they're meant to be together. But I have this story planned out and I can't let you know what's going to happen. I'm not saying whether they're going to stay together or whether they're going to break up, but I hope you'll continue to read it and see how the plot unfolds for yourself. I think you'll be very pleased and surprised.**

**Anyway, please review and let me know what you think. Update coming soon.**


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